Here’s his full story: “She 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.
So powerful was the cracker explosion in her mouth that her tongue and mouth were badly injured. The elephant walked around in the village, in searing pain and in hunger.
She was unable to eat anything because of her injuries. 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. This is why I said, she is full of goodness.
The elephant eventually walked up to the Velliyar River and stood there. Photos showed the elephant standing in the river with her mouth and truck in water, perhaps for some relief from the unbearable pain.
The forest officer said she must have done this to avoid flies and other insects on her injuries.
The forest officials brought two captive elephants, who were called Surendran and Neelakanthan, to lead her out of the river. But I think she had a sixth sense. She didn’t let us do anything.
After hours of attempts by the officials to rescue the elephant, she died at 4 pm on May 27, standing in water. The elephant was taken back inside the forest in a truck, where the forest officials cremated her. She needs to be given the farewell she deserves.
For that, we took inside the forest in a lorry. She lay there on firewood, in the land she played and grew up.
The doctor who did her post-mortem told me that she was not alone. I could sense his sadness though the expression on his face was not visible due to his mask. We cremated her in a pyre there. We bowed before her and paid our last respects.”
However, many on social media raised questions like, “How did people know the elephant would come in?” And some went on to say, “The pineapple wouldn’t have been for the elephant.”
Journalists have also answered these questions:
For people arguing whether the fruit with crackers was meant for the pregnant elephant or not, how does it matter? It was meant for some animal and that’s cruelty. This cruel practice of keeping snares got highlighted bcos a pregnant elephant died.
— Dhanya Rajendran (@dhanyarajendran) June 3, 2020
A classmate of mine who is a forest officer says that they find these snares often and the practice has to stop.
— Dhanya Rajendran (@dhanyarajendran) June 3, 2020
Discussed this with a friend who’s also an expert in wildlife- he said no one can feed a wild elephant. But these traps are left for wild boars to get their meat which ended up being eaten by the elephant. Sad nevertheless that any animal has to suffer thus.
— Nandita Iyer (@saffrontrail) June 3, 2020
