Union ministry seeks report on suspicious wild jumbo deaths in state

Kochi: Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change directed Kerala forest department to examine the matter and submit a report in the wake of a complaint filed by an animal rights group regarding suspicious wild elephant deaths in state.As per the complaint filed by Preethi Sreenivasan, secretary of Sama Srishti Federation of Animal Rights Organisations Kerala, there is a catastrophic surge in unnatural death of wild elephants in the forests in state. It alleged lack of transparency in the postmortem procedure, which appeared to be conducted with the intention of closing the file, instead of finding the truth.TOI had earlier reported the suspicious deaths of wild elephants in Kerala. In most cases, wild elephant carcasses were found with severe non-natural wounds on their trunks and dozens of metal pellets embedded deep within their bodies. The nature of these wounds indicates the use of improvised explosive devices, high-power air rifles and trap guns designed to inflict slow and agonising deaths."There is grave suspicion regarding the role of Kerala Independent Farmers Association (KIFA). This organisation has been actively propagating and instigating eradication of wild animals through various social media platforms, specifically WhatsApp groups. We believe there is a direct link between this inflammatory rhetoric and the recent uptick in targeted killings. The use of cryptic communication to share hunting methods and animal trapping techniques requires a high-level digital forensic investigation," the complaint alleged.The complaint also blamed forest department, which failed to file first information reports or initiate criminal proceedings in the majority of such cases.The complaint called for an independent inquiry led by forest vigilance or a central agency like Wildlife Crime Control Bureau. Besides, it called for forensic auditing of all postmortem reports issued in Kerala during 2025-26, along with an investigation into KIFA's digital footprint and related groups to identify individuals inciting illegal hunting and animal cruelty.