New Delhi: The death of the pregnant elephant in Kerala's Palakkad district after eating a pineapple filled with firecrackers, offered to her allegedly by some locals, has sparked a big debate on animal abuse and animal cruelty.


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The news has affected all and sundry, leading to a massive uproar in social media. A campaign started by Zee News has garnered immense support across all the sections of society. Join ZEE NEWS campaign to bring Kerala elephant's barbaric killers to book by tweeting #JusticeForElephant to us.


As per details provided by the forest officer, the pregnant wild elephant came out of the forest, meandering into a nearby village in search of food. As she walked on the streets, locals gave her the cracker-laden pineapple to eat and the fruit exploded in her mouth thus killing her.


Maneka Gandhi flays Kerala government over the case


BJP MP and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi on Wednesday (June 3) flayed the CPM-led Kerala government for the tragic death of a pregnant elephant. The former union minister further said that Forest Secretary should be removed, and also sought the resignation of the state's minister for wildlife protection. 


She has also questioned Rahul Gandhi for his silence on the elephant's death.


Prakash Javadekar seeks report from Kerala government


Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has also sought a report from the state government in this matter. "Environment Ministry has taken a serious note of the death of an elephant in Kerala. Has sought a complete report on the incident. Stern action will be taken against the culprit(s)," Prakash Javadekar said in New Delhi on Wednesday.



Bollywood expresses shock over the incident


Actress Anushka Sharma, Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Athiya Shetty, Mouni Roy, Sonali Bendre, John Abraham, and TV stars such as Dipika Kakar, Sayantani Ghosh, Rohit Roy, Ravi Dubey have taken to Twitter and Instagram to express shock over the incident and are demanding stricter laws against animal cruelty.


Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons


Ratan Tata took to social media to express his grief and tweeted, "I am grieved and shocked to know that a group of people caused the death of an innocent, passive, pregnant elephant by feeding the elephant with a pineapple filled with firecrackers." 



Sports personalities condemn the killing


Indian skipper Virat Kohli and star opener Rohit Sharma have expressed shock over the tragic killing of a pregnant elephant.


Condemning the act, Kohli took to his official Twitter handle and expressed grief over the inhuman treatment meted out to the animal while also urging everyone to bring an end to these cowardly acts.


Rohit Sharma said that he was heartbroken to hear the news and said that no animal deserves to be treated with cruelty.