KOCHI: In a fresh development in the incident in which a wild elephant died after biting a jackfruit stuffed with crackers in the Kuttampuzha forest area, forest officials have registered a case and are awaiting detailed chemical examination results.“
The preliminary investigation and postmortem findings suggest that the elephant died due to the cracker explosion. Further details, including crucial leads, will emerge after the chemical analysis report, which has been sent for forensic examination,” said Kuttampuzha Forest Range Officer Murali Das.
The 15-year-old male elephant was found on the farmland of a local resident in the Vellaramkuthu settlement in the Kuttampuzha forest area on Friday.
Following the discovery, a postmortem examination was conducted the next day, the officer added.
The region reportedly witnesses frequent wild boar activity, and it is suspected that locals or farmers may have placed jackfruits stuffed with crackers to deter them. The elephant is believed to have consumed the explosive-laden fruit unknowingly, said a source with forest department.
The incident has drawn significant attention, after a similarl case in which a pregnant elephant died in the Silent Valley forest in Palakkad in 2020, after biting into a pineapple stuffed with crackers. The fruit, stuffed with firecrackers, exploded in the animal’s mouth.