Newborn elephant spreads joy at BBP

Elephant Suvarna has recently given birth to a male calf at the Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP), much to the joy of the animal-keepers there.

The mother and the calf, along with the newborn’s sibling Veda, were seen playing near the Seegekatte tank in the limits of the park on Sunday.

Presently, there are a total of 21 jumbos in the park, including the newborn.

Though the birth of the elephant on September 22 brought much joy, the death of a male jumbo on Friday has led to a sombre mood among mahouts who were looking after it.

The newborn will be fed with only mother’s milk for some time.

BBP authorities said Suvarna will get nutritious food over the next one month, including cereals, coconut, pongal, rice and jaggery.

Suvarna holds the distinction of giving birth to the highest number of young ones.