Much-loved jumbo’s death raises a few questions

Tusker Ambalappuzha Vijayakrishnan, 51, owned by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) died on Thursday. His death provoked a huge outpouring of grief and anger. After the elephant died on the Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Swamy temple premises in the morning, animal rights activists and devotees accused the TDB of ill-treating him, denying him rest and proper medication. People who thronged the temple alleged that the animal had suffered at the hands of mahout. They did not allow the carcass to be taken to Konni for post-mortem examination, demanding action, including against TDB officials.