Indian man held in elephant death

Indian police have arrested a plantation worker and are hunting two others after a pregnant elephant died from eating fruit laced with explosives, officials said on Saturday, in a case that has shocked the country.

The elephant died in agony last week in the southern state of Kerala, the latest casualty of a growing conflict in South Asia between nature and humans as ever more forest is lost to urban expansion.

Footage of the animal standing in a river for hours with its badly injured mouth and trunk in the water as it slowly weakened went viral, triggering horror online.

A man identified as P Wilson was arrested on Friday after he allegedly put out fruit filled with explosives to keep creatures — mainly boar — away from his rubber plantation.

“The man has admitted that they used the explosive-filled coconuts to target the wild animals,” Surendra Kumar, Kerala’s chief wildlife warden, said.

Two of his associates were still at large, the officer said.

Elephants are a protected species in India and the men could face seven years in jail.

Kumar said the men made several “coconut bombs” and left them near the plantation boundary.

Officials said it was unclear when exactly the 15-year-old elephant consumed the rigged fruit but it was found injured, two days before it died.

Forest officials said the explosion caused severe damage to its mouth, leaving it unable to eat or drink for days.

Villagers often use explosive or firecracker-filled fruits as bait to target animals threatening crops and homes.

Villagers often use explosives inside fruit to target wild animals