Jumbo task for mother who stood by her dead calf

It was a heartrending scene on the stretch that led to the Biligiriranga Hills Wildlife Sanctuary (BRT), near Ninganakatte in Yellandur taluk in Chamarajanagar district on Saturday.

Traffic piled up on the stretch, even as several onlookers witnessed a grief-stricken mother elephant making elephantine efforts to lift her newborn calf that had passed away after its birth in a silt-filled pond on Friday evening. 

The mother elephant, seized by unfathomable anguish, made every effort to lift the calf from the muddy slush, by pushing it to the edge of the pond. It was joined by another elephant in its endeavour. Unperturbed by the human presence, the jumbos did not budge from their place even when the officials of the Forest department tried to scare them away by bursting crackers.

The frenzied jumbos occasionally charged at the crowd to express their frustration and yet did not give up their task. Police and the Forest department staff had a challenging task of keeping the crowd at bay. By dusk, with the help of some domesticated elephants from K Gudi, the officials were able to drive the grieving elephants to the forest.

The calf was lifted by an earthmover and cremated with the help of Soligas. Most expressive animals

Paramesh, research person, Elephant Corridor, Atree said: “Pachyderms, the largest animals on earth, are the most expressive animals. They are deeply attached to their calves and engage in fun and frolic with them. The deaths of their calves is unfathomable for them and they do not leave their side, till they are convinced.” According to studies conducted in Africa, they even cremate them. The jumbos try to subtly communicate to the members of their herd up to a distance of 250 metres, when they are in trouble. They express their anguish when they are disturbed by the presence of humans, he said.