We are savages, are we not learning: Rohit on Kerala incident

"We are savages. Are we not learning? To hear what happened to the elephant in Kerala was heartbreaking. No animal deserves to be treated with cruelty," Rohit said on his official Twitter handle.

On May 27, the 15-year-old pregnant elephant fell victim to an inhumane act after a pineapple filled with powerful firecrackers offered by a man exploded in her mouth when she chomped on it in Mallapuram. It suffered serious injuries on its tongue and mouth. Later she walked into a river and waited for three days as its life was slowly snuffed out.

Several sportspersons, including the likes of Virat Kohli, Saina Nehwal, Sunil Chhetri and others, have expressed shock and anguish over the incident.

"Appalled to hear about what happened in Kerala. Let's treat our animals with love and bring an end to these cowardly acts," Kohli tweeted.

The Kerala Forest department has launched a 'manhunt' for those responsible for the death of the elephant.

Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar also took to Twitter on Thursday and said: "Central government has taken a very serious note of the killing of an elephant in Mallapuram, Kerala. We will not leave any stone unturned to investigate properly and nab the culprit(s). This is not an Indian culture to feed fire crackers and kill."

The incident has attracted huge condemnation on social media, where various posts showed the mother elephant saying it was her fault to trust the human race, while the unborn child in her womb kept asking: "What is my fault, Ma?"