In a heartbreaking incident, a pregnant wild elephant in Kerala died after she faced one of the most brutal forms of animal abuse. The wild elephant that entered a village of Malappuram in search of food was walking on the streets without harming anyone when a local fed the animal with a pineapple that was stuffed with firecrackers.

As soon as she started eating the fruit, it exploded inside her mouth. So powerful was the cracker explosion in her mouth that her tongue and mouth were badly injured. Due to the unbearable pain, the elephant eventually walked up to the Velliyar River and stood there.

"Her jaw was broken and she was unable to eat after she chewed the pineapple and it exploded in her mouth. It is certain that she was offered the pineapple filled with crackers to eliminate her," wrote Surendrakumar Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden. He said the post-mortem revealed that the pachyderm was pregnant to give birth to in 18 to 20 months.

The incident that happened on May 27 came to light after a forest officer named Mohana Krishnan narrated the details of the horrific death on social media. "When we saw her she was standing in the river, with her head dipped in the water. She had a sixth sense that she was going to die. She took the Jalasamadhi in the river in a standing position", wrote Krishnan in his emotional post. He also posted the photo of the elephant standing in the velliyar river water.

"She didn't harm a single human being even when she ran in searing pain in the streets of the village. She didn't crush a single home. This is why I said, she is full of goodness," wrote Krishnan.

After hours of attempts by the officials to rescue the elephant, she died standing in water. Her body was cremated in the forest. "We cremated her in a pyre there. We bowed before her and paid our last respects," the forest officer added.