Man arrested in India after pregnant elephant’s shock death by ‘exploding coconut’
- Elephant ate explosives mixed with fruit left out by locals
- Animal suffered severe injuries and eventually died standing in a river
Indian police have arrested a plantation worker and are hunting two others after a pregnant elephant died after eating fruit laced with explosives, officials said Saturday, in a case that shocked the country.
The elephant died in agony last week in the southern state of Kerala, the latest casualty of a growing conflict in South Asia between nature and humans as ever more forest is lost to urban expansion.
Footage of the animal standing in a river for hours with its badly injured mouth and trunk in the water as it slowly weakened went viral, triggering horror online.
P. Wilson was arrested on Friday after he allegedly placed fruits filled with explosives to keep creatures – mainly wild boar – away from his rubber plantation.
“The man has admitted that they used the explosive-filled coconuts to target the wild animals,” Surendra Kumar, Kerala’s chief wildlife warden, said.
Two of his associates were still at large, the officer said.