Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Someone Killed A Pregnant Wild Elephant By Feeding Her Pineapple Filled With Firecrackers, And Activists Are Outraged

Someone Killed A Pregnant Wild Elephant By Feeding Her Pineapple Filled With Firecrackers, And Activists Are Outraged
Mohan Krishnan/Facebook

A pregnant elephant in Kerala, India died on May 27 and wildlife officials suspect it was because the animal had eaten a pineapple stuffed with firecrackers.

Local forest officer Ashique Ali said that the wild elephant—who was one-month pregnant—died while standing in the river Velliyar.


Ali told CNN:

"The postmortem report says that there was an explosion in the mouth. We have not caught any of the culprits. We don't know yet what caused the explosion"

Local villagers often leave behind fruit filled with firecrackers as a tactic to protect their fields against wild boars, but the Tribune India reported the elephant may have been fed by an unknown assailant.

According to the report, Chief Wildlife Warden Surendrakumar said he believed that a man intentionally fed the elephant the explosive fruit to "eliminate her."

He told the Press Trust of India (PTI):

"I have directed the forest officials to nab the culprit. We will punish him for 'hunting' the elephant."

The Kerala Forest Department tweeted they could not confirm the elephant's fatal injury was caused by the firecrackers stuffed inside a pineapple.

But they did add "this may be a possibility."


The elephant's death sparked international outrage—including India's environment minister Prakash Javadekar, who declared that the government has taken "a very serious note" of the incident.





The elephant was first discovered on May 23 after it had sustained injuries to its lower jaw, but when forest officers and a veterinarian tried to immobilize her for treatment, she moved away.

A wildlife officer from Silent Valley National Park told the Hindustan Times:

"First, we observed this animal on May 23 when we were informed by locals that an elephant has been roaming around in the private area of the forest."
"When one of our staff members went to saw the elephant, it was observed that the wound in the lower jaw area was exposed."
"Later, for at least 24 hours the animal was trying to look for water and on May 24 we received information that the animal has come into river Velliyar."

But the elephant was unable to get tranquilized while standing in the water because the animal could possibly drown.

"Even then the animal did not take any solid matter and only took water. It was very weak so we called a vet, he was of the opinion that it may not be possible to revive back but will see what options are available."
"Later we were told to observe the animal's behaviour."

When forest officials called for two captive elephants—named "Surendran" and "Neelakanthan"—to try and lure the injured animal to the shore, she collapsed before the rescue mission was completed.

The official continued:

"Today we thought of taking the animal to a safe spot to examine. Anyway, we had very little hope of reviving the animal because it has not been eating for many days."
"So, before we could take the animal out of the stream, it had collapsed and we hope it was a peaceful death."


Forest officer Mohan Krishnan— who was part of the Rapid Response Team—recalled the heartbreaking incident on Facebook:

"She came out to the village in search of food. She did not know about the selfish human beings that she was about to witness. She must have thought, they would spare her as she was carrying two lives. She believed everyone."
"When the pineapple that she ate burst, she must have been in shock not thinking about herself, but the child she was about to give birth to in 18 or 20 months."
"When I saw her, she was standing in the river, with her mouth and trunk submerged in water. She must have stood in the water to avoid any insects feeding on her wounds."
"We cremated her there itself. Even as fire engulfed her, I prayed to the mother in her. Being one from mankind all I could say was, sister.... sorry."

Kerala's chief wildlife warden, Surendra Kumar told CNN the case is under investigation.

More from Trending

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less