In an act of indescribable brutality, a pregnant wild elephant in Indian state Kerala's Silent Valley forest died after eating a pineapple stuffed with powerful crackers offered by a man, our New Delhi correspondent reports quoting senior forest officers.

The pineapple went off in the animal's mouth when she chomped on it, the senior forest officer said on Tuesday.

"Her jaw was broken and she was unable to eat after she chewed the pineapple and it exploded in her mouth. It is certain that she was offered the pineapple filled with crackers to eliminate her," Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Surendrakumar told the media.

The incident was reported from the fringe areas of the picturesque Silent Valley in Attappadi.

Surendrakumar said the elephant died at Velliyar River in Malappuram district on May 27.

He said the post-mortem revealed that the elephant was pregnant.

"I have directed forest officials to nab the culprit," he said.

The issue of the animal's tragic death came to light late when another forest officer posted an emotional note on his Facebook page, narrating the death of the elephant in the waters of the Velliyar River.

"When we saw her, she was standing in the river, with her head dipped in the water. She had a sixth sense that she was going to die. She took the Jalsamadhi (watery grave) in the river in a standing position," Krishnan, who was deputed to bring the elephant back to the shore, wrote.

He also posted the photo of the elephant standing in the river water.