Pregnant Elephant Dies in India after Explosive Incident

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A pineapple filled with an explosive blew up in a pregnant Asian elephant's mouth leaving her in agonizing pain before she died 4 days later. The explosive went off, shattering her jaw and injuring her tongue, trunk, and mouth leaving her unable to eat and ultimately, starve for the remaining days of her life. 

Farmers will use these "country bombs" as a means of controlling wild boar populations that destroy their crops. Explosives are shoved inside of fruits like papaya, pineapple, and watermelon which lures the boars to them ultimately killing them when they start to engage with the explosive laden fruit. The practice is illegal but farmers regularly use this method despite the illegality. Unfortunately, these bombs are indescriminate and can harm non-target animals and humans as made evident by this poor elephant that suffered tremendously as a result of coming in to contact with the bomb.

A reward is currently being offered for information leading to an arrest. It is important that change comes from this, especially considering Asian elephants are an endangered species. Considering these bombs are illegal, more must be done to monitor farmers, ensuring they are not engaging in these practices. Without proper monitoring, incidents like this will continue to happen and endangered species will continue to plunge further towards extinction. Regular inspections of farm lands are necessary to ensure these bombs are not being used. Farmers must also be given tools and tips on how to manage wild boar populations without the use of these bombs. There are other ways to manage the situation without the use of these horrific fruit bombs.

Photo taken from World Animal News

On top of regular monitoring, there needs to be additional steps taken to prevent these bombs from being used. As World Animal News suggests, India must stop the sale of any parts that could be used to manufacture these bombs. If the parts are readily available, there is no guarantee that these bombs will not continue to be used. Not only should these parts & pieces be taken off the market, but as I mentioned, farmers must be educated on humane wildlife population control. This will make it easier to hold them accountable when regular enforcement of the ban on these bombs comes into effect. There will be no excuse if they've been educated on more humane methods.

Look, it's a no brainer here. These bombs will blow up anything that comes into contact with them. Some of the creatures that can come into contact with them are endangered species including bears & elephants. These animals already face unimaginable perils in the wild without factoring in these horrific fruit bombs. This elephant suffered for 4 days with a destroyed jaw, in agonizing pain and starving while pregnant. She wandered to a nearby river, partially submerged to ease some of the pain she was experiencing and she remained there until she passed away. There is no excuse for the amount of pain and suffering this beautiful mother endured. 

Enforce the laws, stop the sale of parts that manufacture bombs, and monitor farmers regularly to ensure their compliance. Animals deserve better than being left to starve and die for several days. It's despicable.

HAPPY VEG