The killing of the pregnant elephant in the state of Kerala has become a widely debated subject.The news of the death is very heartbreaking and I condemn such atrocities. It was in direct violation of the Wildlife(Protection)Act -1972 and Article 51(G) of the Constitution and the perpetrators should be held accountable and I in no way condone such violence.

But the issue I want to highlight is about the real elephant in the room, Farmer's Rights.

It is a common practice to place snares and traps to prevent wild boar (Kattu Panni) from entering the fields and wrecking havoc.Though electrocuted wiring and fencing is advised, many farmers cannot afford them. Most Farmers / Planters have no other option. Many have incurred heavy losses and have been forced to abandon their livelihood altogether. 

The laws in Kerala only allow Forest officials to cull animals considered pests/vermin, that too after detailed analysis about their behavior.The wild boar proliferate rapidly and cause severe damage to farmland. There has to be an effort from the side of the govt to selectively cull them without straining the ecosystem by working alongside researchers and scientists OR assisting the farmers by insuring their crops,helping set up mechanical boundaries,etc.

This is based on a detailed article by Dr.S Gopakumar,Dr.AV Santhoshkumar and Dr. T.K Kunhamu  of the Kerala Agricultural University

(Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263303079_Wild_boars_Is_elimination_the_way_forward  

Though there is a legislation to permit responsible gun owners to take action,this has not been implemented yet. Most farmers are helpless and therefore have to take matters into their own hands.These people have families too. They also have to live. I firmly believe that no farmer would have deliberately intended to harm an elephant,our state animal. I personally have relatives who suffer because of this problem. The wild boars thrash everything in their way, leaving everything to waste.

It is unfortunate that a pregnant elephant or any other animal for that matter,had to suffer and die in such a cruel manner .Therefore I call upon the Government of Kerala and the Central Government to take necessary  action to help the farmers control the menace,ensure balanced man-animal relation and also call for an end to encroaching forest areas.Farmers should also be assisted in protecting their crop and farmland though mechanical fencing,wiring,etc

The common man would not have gone to such extremes if there was a way to handle this crisis properly. I've noticed news feeds about people 'intentionally feeding them' which I feel is not true.Feeding a wild animal is nonsensical.

Also there has been an attack from various Netizens about how Kerala should be ashamed of itself and that there's no point being the Most Literate State. My answer to you,yes its shameful and inhumane but please stop branding the entire state for what has happened.

Also the incident took place at Thiruvazhamkunnu in the district of Palakkad. Most people confuse it with Malappuram district, which I feel should be corrected.Most comments on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter have been targeting people of a particular faith just because they are a majority in that region.I urge political leaders and influencers to withdraw their comments that spew hate towards others,to please stop blaming others and making the issue political.

I urge the public to stop victimizing the farmers but help them.Not many news channels have brought up the issue about our farmers. Animal rights are absolutely important, but so too are human rights 

I'm attaching a few articles that highlight the plight of the farmer:

• https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/strict-culling-norms-aid-crop-raiding-boars/article29247649.ece

• https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/the-question-of-the-wild-pig/article23404076.ece