How the Tragic Death of a Pregnant Elephant in Kerala Birthed Rumours and a Communal Campaign

 The villagers of Thiruvizhamkunnu, a sleepy hamlet in Palakkad district, 56 kilometres away from its headquarters, had an unusual sight on the morning of May 25. The sight of wild elephants in the village with rubber plantations and areca nut trees, bordering the buffer zone of Silent Valley National Park, was not rare. However, this was not so common as the cow elephant was standing in Velliyaar, a rivulet passing through it. Soon they found something wrong with the animal's mouth and hence called the forest officers. "We tried to send the animal back to the forest and partially succeeded in getting it out of the river. However, it returned the next day and refused to leave. Hence, we had to take the help of the forest and veterinary officials. Then came the trained elephants for rescue. However, it died standing in the water on May 27," Sheemer, a native, told News18.

It was not the end, but the beginning of the story of the 15-year-old as the postmortem on May 28 had a shocking piece of information other than the cause of death: "water filled in the lungs". She was pregnant. However, the world came to know about this with an emotional note in a Facebook post by Mohan Krishnan, a forest official from Palakkad division on May 31. "She had eaten something similar to a pineapple with a firecracker inside. After the postmortem, the doctor, while trying to console himself, told me she was not alone. Though he wore a mask, I could realise his mood and what he meant exactly," said the officer in his post, which soon turned viral.