Humans act inhuman: Throw a burning tyre on a wild elephant resulting in its death

Humans act inhuman: Throw a burning tyre on a wild elephant resulting in its death

Sagaya Fernando

Mumbai, 23 January 2021

 

Two men have been arrested in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, for their gruesome and inhuman act of throwing a burning tyre on a wild elephant resulting in its death.

According to a senior forest official, the elephant was attacked on January 8 after it had damaged a luxury car parked at Mavanalla, a small resort town located 25 kms north of the famous hill-station of Ooty (Udhagamandalam).

 

After a hue and cry raised by wildlife activists over the issue, the local police arrested two people on January 22 – two days after the elephant died; while one more accused is on the run.

 

A video of the gruesome attack on the elephant started doing rounds in social media, following which an investigation was launched by the forest department officials and the police.

 

“The accused flung a burning tyre filled with kerosene at the elephant, which was already being treated by the forest department for a deep back injury,” said L C S Srikanth, deputy director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (Buffer Zone), who is in charge of the area.

 

“Two persons have been arrested in this regard,” he added.

 

The arrested accused have been identified as Raymond Malcolm (28) and Prasath Sugumaran (36).

 

The elephant was attacked after it came close to the resort run by Malcolm.

 

In the video, the elephant can be seen running away, screaming in pain. It was later found by forest rangers with severe burn injuries on the back and ear, in a very weak condition.

 

The elephant succumbed to the injuries while it was being transported to a medical facility at Theppakadu Elephant Camp for treatment on January 19.

 

Prior to the incident, the elephant was being treated for about 45 days by the forest department. While handling it was tough, there was one forest watcher who was taking care of the elephant, said a forest official. The flaming tyre had damaged the ear lobe leading to severe bleeding. There were efforts to save the elephant but it died. The caregiver was inconsolable following the elephant’s death.

 

“The laxity in implementation of the Wildlife Act is costing the lives of many wild animals. Moreover, there is a need to overhaul the penal laws framed during the British colonial rule. Times have changed, but we are still following the laws enacted more than a hundred years ago, which does not deter criminals. The law has to be changed to heavy penalties and longer prison terms that will deter people from committing such heinous crimes,” says Vanam S Chandrashekar, a wildlife activist from Coimbatore, asking for strict punishment against the perpetrators.

 

Meanwhile, the Nilgiris District Collector J Innocent Divya stated that the resort has been sealed.