A pregnant wild elephant died after eating a pineapple stuffed with firecrackers in Kerala on 27 May 2020.

A pregnant wild elephant died in Palakkad district in Kerala on 27 May 2020 after consuming a pineapple filled with explosives.

A pregnant wild elephant died in Palakkad district in Kerala on 27 May 2020 after consuming a pineapple filled with explosives.On 27 May 2020, officials of the forest department of Kerala confirmed that a pregnant wild elephant died standing in the river Velliyar at the Palakkad district. The elephant had sustained injuries after eating a pineapple stuffed with fireworks. The animal had strayed from the Silent Valley forest into a nearby village in search of food. The officials first spotted the injured animal on 23 May 2020 and two days later, the elephant was seen standing in the river.

Efforts to take her out of the river with the help of trained elephants went in vain. A wildlife officer confirmed that she was very weak as she had not been able to eat or drink water for two weeks owing to the injuries on her jaw. She collapsed before she could be taken out of the stream.

The firecracker-filled pineapple are used by villagers to protect their fields against wild boars. The practice has been widely condemned and is illegal. On Friday, June 5, the Kerala Forest Department arrested one person for his alleged involvement in the death of the pregnant elephant. The accused is one of the three persons who was taken into custody for questioning on Thursday. Palakkad Superintendent of Police G Siva Vikram told the media that the accused works as a rubber tapper at a plantation in the district. The man reportedly told interrogators that the snare was set up to scare wild boars.