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

Jeff Ross
Mike Coppola/Variety via Getty Images

Comedian Jeff Ross Shares Photos Of Puffed Up Lip After Allergic Reaction To Ice Cream

Insult comic Jeff Ross revealed he had a medical emergency after a show Saturday night that resulted in a trip to the ER. However, he assured fans the show must go on despite "looking like Mickey Rourke at the end of The Wrestler."

Ross recounted the ordeal on Instagram, showing his swollen lip taking over his face from eating burrata ice cream after his Take a Banana for the Ride show in Mill Valley, California, near San Francisco.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot of Jesse Watters on Fox News
Fox News

Jesse Watters Offers Mind-Numbing New Claim About Masculinity—And Is Instantly Dragged

Problematic Fox News MAGA pundit Jesse Watters has made another bizarre claim about masculinity.

Having already taken exception with eating ice cream, drinking milkshakes, and taking bubble baths, Watters is now targeting tech jobs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump with the Dodgers
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Trump Leaves Everyone Confused With Hilariously Bizarre Word Salad Tribute To The Dodgers

President Donald Trump was widely mocked after he welcomed the 2024 World Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers to the White House on Monday with a bizarre, tangential, and rambling speech.

The team arrived at the White House on Monday morning, where Trump, in his remarks, praised two-way star Shohei Ohtani and infielder Mookie Betts. The Dodgers had defeated the New York Yankees in five games to clinch their second World Series title in five seasons.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Trump Roasted After Giving Clunky New Nickname To People Criticizing His Tariffs

President Donald Trump was criticized after he pushed back against critics of his tariffs, coming up with a new nickname for the "weak and stupid" people who oppose them.

The Trump administration’s newly imposed tariffs on imports from various countries have unsettled consumers, triggered a trade war, disrupted global markets, and sparked widespread fears of a potential recession in the U.S. and beyond.

Keep ReadingShow less

Childhood Experiences People Thought Were 'Normal' But Weren't At All

Content Warning: Child neglect, child abuse, narcissism, gaslighting, people-pleasing, and other traumatic childhood experiences

It's important for us to work on ourselves, to continue bettering ourselves throughout our limited time on this earth, and a key way of doing that is acknowledging what we do not know, and working on that.

Keep ReadingShow less