Pregnant Elephant Dies After Eating Pineapple Stuffed With Firecrackers

By Syakir Roslan  •  04 Jun 2020 in News

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Elephants are the largest land animal in the world. Despite their wild nature, researchers have observed elephants to be one of the most intelligent and altruistic creatures on the planet. They also have great memories and while elephant-human conflict does take place (territorial disputes, poachers, etc.), there have been many instances of peaceful coexistence between the two.

Sadly, one such elephant who was also pregnant at the time, met a very unfortunate fate after eating a pineapple stuffed with firecrackers.

The elephant in the photo above was spotted by locals roaming the waters of Kerala’s Silent Valley Forest in India on 27 May. A closer look at the photo shows her injuries where there appears to be some redness around the elephant’s mouth. Because of the injuries she sustained on her tongue and mouth, the poor elephant was left unable to eat which ultimately led to her demise.

Farmers originally made those explosive pineapples to scare away wild boars from their fields, which locals noted was a common practice. Unfortunately, this backfired when the elephant got to it first.

The incident was brought to public attention after forest officer Mohan Krishnan, who was part of the team that tried to rescue her, posted about it on his Facebook page. Mohan noted how the elephant “trusted everyone. When the pineapple she ate exploded, she must have been shocked not thinking about herself, but about the child she was going to give birth to in 18 to 20 months.”

In the emotional post he made, Mohan also mentioned that “She didn’t harm a single human being even when she ran in searing pain in the streets of the village. She didn’t crush a single home.” NDTV reports that forest officials believe the elephant survived for another 20 days after eating the pineapple before succumbing to her injuries.

In the offence registered as per the sections of WL(P)A for hunting the elephant, several suspects are being interrogated. SIT formed for the purpose is making a significant headway in this regard.Forest Dept will leave no stone unturned to ensure max punishment to the offenders

— Kerala Forest Department (@ForestKerala) June 4, 2020

An investigation into the elephant’s death has been launched by the Kerala Forest Department as they believe that the injuries sustained to her mouth might not solely be from eating the explosive pineapple.

After passing on the 27th of May, the elephant was cremated by forest officials who bowed before her and paid their last respects.

Here’s hoping that her spirit’s in a better place where there’s an infinite amount of safe and edible food, and no humans.

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