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Maneka Gandhi questions Rahul Gandhi’s silence on jumbo’s death in Kerala
Chief Wildlife Warden Surendra Kumar said the elephant’s was broken by the explosion and that strict action will be taken against those who fed her a pineapple filled with crackers.
BJP MP and former Union minister Maneka Gandhi on Wednesday asked why Rahul Gandhi has not taken any action following the death of a pregnant elephant in Kerala’s Malappuram after it ate a pineapple stuffed with crackers which exploded and fatally injured her.
Malappuram is an adjoining district of Wayanad which Rahul Gandhi represents in the Lok Sabha
Maneka Gandhi who is also an animal rights advocate called for the removal of Kerala’s Forest Secretary.
“The Forest Secretary should be removed, the minister (for wildlife protection), if he has any sense, should resign. Rahul Gandhi is from that area, why has he not taken action?,” she told ANI.
The inhuman act has sparked an outrage as the elephant died a painful death. The incident is believed to have occurred on May 27. According to forest officials the elephant might have swallowed the fruit filled with crackers which was meant as a snare to catch wild boars.
“Her jaw was broken as the blast inflicted serious injuries. It is an inhuman act. Our investigation is on and we will question people who are living in fringe areas of forests. Strict charges will be imposed on offenders,” said Chief Wildlife Warden Surendra Kumar.
The incident came to light after a forest officer who witnessed jumbo’s painful death wrote a touching post.
“She was in the river for long. When we saw her trunk and a portion of her head was dipped in the water. She later took a ‘jal samdhi’ in standing position. Watching her struggle was a most painful incident in my career,” wrote Mohan Krishnan, who was deputed to bring back the elephant to the river bank.
The post-mortem later revealed that the cause of death was asphyxia as a result of water entering its lungs.
Many wildlife activists and others took to social media to vent their anger. Actors Shraddha Kapoor and Randeep Hooda are among those who took to Twitter to speak against the cruel act. People also drew innumerable sketches and drawings to express their indignation and sorrow.
An animal protection group, Humane Society International/India, on Wednesday offered a reward of Rs 50,000 for any information leading to the arrest of people involved in a gruesome incident in Malappuram.
“Crop loss caused by wild animals is no justification for people taking up law into their hands to maim or kill animals in question. Incidents like this stress upon the need to improve the government systems of ex-gratia payment and crop insurance schemes that will safeguard the interest of communities while not compromising on the welfare of animals,” said Sumanth Bindumadhav, campaign manager for wildlife at HSI India while announcing a reward for those who give information about the incident
(With inputs from Ramesh Babu in Thiruvananthapuram)
