Heartbroken Twitter mourns elephant that ate cracker-filled fruit
Officials suspect that the elephant ate the pineapple either in the end of April or the beginning of May
The heartbreaking death of a pregnant elephant in Kerala has sparked huge outrage on Twitter.
It died after eating a pineapple stuffed with crackers, allegedly placed by some locals, reports the NDTV.
The wild elephant had left the forests of Silent Valley in Palakkad district, wandering into a nearby village in search of food where she ate the pineapple. The fruit exploded in her mouth and left her in searing pain as she walked around the village for days, unable to eat anything because of her injuries.
She eventually died standing in a river.
The incident has sent shock waves through social media, with thousands of people calling for strong action against the perpetrators.
On Twitter, several people also shared sketches and illustrations as a way to apologise for the heinous act of animal cruelty.
"Literacy rate doesn't reflect education," wrote one Twitter user while sharing an illustration by Aveek Ray.
"Somewhere in God's own country, not Kerala..." another wrote while sharing a heartbreaking sketch that shows a baby elephant playing with its mother.
"As a human I am sorry," a Twitter user apologised on behalf of all humans.
Another called for justice to be delivered in the case.
Actor and UN Environment Programme Ambassador Randeep Hooda called it an "act most inhumane" in a post asking for justice.
Officials suspect that the elephant ate the pineapple either in the end of April or the beginning of May.
"We don't know when the incident happened. But because of the starvation and shrinking of the elephant, we suspect that it would have happened around 20 days ago," forest officer Aashique Ali said.
Forest officials got to know about the elephant only on May 25, two days before she died. They brought two captive elephants, called Surendran and Neelakanthan, to lead her out of the river where she stood with her mouth and trunk in water, perhaps for some relief from the pain. After unsuccessful attempts to lead her out, the elephant died at 4 pm on May 27.
Police have now launched an investigation into the case and filed a First Information Report against unknown persons. No arrests have been made so far.
