Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai (SD)
Chennai, Jan 23: A 40-year-old elephant died after being set on fire by a villager in Tamil Nadu, which has created an uproar on and off social media. In a bid to chase the elephant away, the villagers had reportedly thrown a piece of burning tyre, however, the tyre got stuck on the elephant's ear.
Visuals of the incident has gone viral in social media in which the distressed elephant can be seen trying to make its way away from the attackers. The incident occured at Masinagudi in the Nilgiris. In a video, some men can be seen throwing a burning object at the elephant in an attempt to chase it away.
Later forest rangers found the elephant with severe burn injuries on the back and ear. While transporting to a medical facility for treatment, the elephant succumbed to the injuries on January 19. The elephant was found in a very weak condition. It was tranquilised before being transported to the Theppakadu elephant camp.
Three men were booked allegedly responsible for the violent act. Senior official of the Masinagudi Tiger Reserve identified three men as Prasath, Raymond Dean and Ricky Rayan. Two of them have been arrested and the third one is yet to be nabbed.
As the video went viral, netizens called for the strictest punishment for the perpetrators. Some condemned the inhuman act while some lamented the lack of humanity that leads to such incidents.