Pregnant Elephant, Killed After Consuming Firecracker-Stuffed Pineapple, Died Due to Drowning And Inhalation of Water Into Lungs, Reveals Post-Mortem Report

Palakkad, June 4: The Thiruvizhamkunnu Forest Station released preliminary post-mortem of a pregnant female elephant who died on May 27 in Kerala following firecrackers burst in her mouth. According to the post-mortem report, drowning and inhalation of water, which led to respiratory failure was the main cause of the death of the elephant.  The report revealed that the elephant could not eat or drink anything for nearly two weeks before her death.

Doctors also found “major” wounds and injuries in the oral cavity of the animal which were caused due to the burst of the firecrackers. It also led to localised sepsis. The wounds in the mouth had prevented the animal from taking food and water for several days which led to severe debility and weakness. ‘Humanity Has Failed Again,’ Sudarsan Pattnaik Shares Save Elephant Sand Art Amid Saddening Death of Pregnant Elephant in Kerala (View Pic).

The animal was found dead in Velliyar river in Palakkad District of Kerala on May 27. According to reports, the 15-year-old wild elephant had left the forest of Silent Valley in Palakkad district, wandering into the nearby village in search of food. She ate the pineapple which was filled with crackers by locals.

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday said stern action would be taken against those who killed a pregnant wild elephant in Kerala by feeding it a cracker-filled pineapple. It was severely injured when the fruit offered by a man exploded in its mouth. BJP leader and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi also demanded action against the forest officials.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 04, 2020 08:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).