An Asian elephant died after being burned alive when it approached a private resort in Masinagudi in Nilgiris, India.
The elephant strayed into the area and was being chased away by people when a man threw burning rags at the panicked animal.
Take a look at this horrific scene …
The video was recorded from a balcony at a nearby house and shows the elephant catching on fire and then running into the jungle as it lets out a blood-curdling cry from the pain. The fire was so bright that it could be seen, even when the poor elephant disappeared into the forest.
Forest rangers found the 40-year-old injured elephant in a very weak condition and tried to help transport it to an elephant sanctuary for treatment. Unfortunately, it had too much damage to its ears and had a severe loss of blood … so it didn’t survive.
Two people, identified as Prasath and Raymond Dean, have been taken into custody for the incident … and another, named Ricky Rayan, is being searched for.
Asian elephants have been endangered since 1986 after their population dramatically decreased. There is only an estimated 31,000 left in India due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation.
At Karmagawa and SaveTheReef we are really upset over the way this elephant was treated. It didn’t deserve to meet this tragic and painful end. We have to do better in how we treat our animals!
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What do you think about how this poor endangered elephant suffered? Leave a comment below.
(Cover image: teekayu/Shutterstock)