Pregnant wild elephant's heinous 'Pineapple bomb' murder triggers 927 Change.org petitions

In order to bring justice, several people across the world have expressed their outrage over the inhumane killing of a pregnant elephant in Kerala. In less than 24 hours, as many as 927 petitions have been filed on the petition website Change.org. Along with it, over 13 lakh people have signed the petitions demanding the perpetrators of this cruel act be punished.

A citizen from Oman Kamal Ganatra urged for rigorous sentencing with hefty fines in his petition. His petition which has been supported by 5.6 lakh people in a day stated, "Perhaps a more important question to ask right now is why we hear news about so many voiceless deaths and not enough about prosecutions? The law in India does not give long prison sentences for wildlife crimes. A sense of fear should be spread amongst people who might become killers of these innocent living beings. Convictions for wildlife killing must receive rigorous sentencing with hefty fines." 

Meanwhile, another petitioner of the platform-- a resident of Thane Nikhil Suryawanshi has demanded to slap a murder charge against the perpetrators of the gruesome crime. His petition that has been signed by over 2.30 lakh people stated, "I was deeply hurt and angry when I read about the pregnant elephant brutally killed in Kerala. As I wanted to do something about this and wanted the offenders to get punished, I shared my thoughts with my sister who is an advocate. She told me to create a petition on Change.org."

Similarly, Bangalore-based Aparajita said in her petition "It broke my heart...the innocent animal fell victim to an act of human cruelty. As she bit into the pineapple, it exploded in her mouth. We cannot let these voiceless animals suffer like this anymore. Strict action should be taken against the culprits." Another petition by Meera Kant that is seeking criminal charges has been signed by over three lakh people. Along with it, people from the US, UK, France, Australia have also issued petitions on the issues. Some of the petitions have also drawn support from celebrities on social media. 

Read: Wildlife expert condemns death of elephant, says responsibility of action lies with state

First arrest by Kerala Forest Department

The Kerala Forest Department has made an arrest in the case of the horrific killing of a pregnant elephant last month in a forest area in Palakkad district. In a tweet, the forest department confirmed the "major breakthrough!" and said, "KFG has zeroed on the culprits and recorded the first arrest in the wild elephant death case."

Read: 'Suspects being interrogated, SIT set up': Kerala Forest department in elephant death case

The pregnant elephant died in Silent Valley Forest in Malappuram after a local allegedly fed her a pineapple stuffed with crackers on May 27. Her jaw was broken and she was unable to eat after she chewed the pineapple and it exploded in her mouth. The elephant was seen standing in the river with its mouth and trunk in the water for some relief from the pain after the explosive-filled fruit exploded in its mouth.

Read: Kerala Elephant Death: Kerala CM assures justice; says investigation is underway

Read: Kerala: Pregnant elephant dies in river after being fed pineapple filled with crackers