Erode (Tamil Nadu): A mother elephant fell due to health problems in the Bannari Forest area of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve. A team consisting of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve Forestry Doctor Sadhasivam, Mudhumalai Tiger Reserve Forestry Doctor Rajesh, Coimbatore Divisional Forestry Doctor Sukumar, Anaimalai Tiger Reserve Forestry Doctor Vijayaragavan, and Meghamalai Tiger Reserve Forestry Doctor Kalaivanan treated the mother elephant.
The mother elephant left behind two cubs, a three-year-old male, and a female only a two-month-old. While the male elephant was reintegrated into the herd, the female cub refused to leave her mother's side. The forest department, determined to give her a chance at survival, isolated her in a dug hole with plans to reunite her with her mother once she recovered.
However, the mother elephant passed away on March 5. After the mother's untimely death, the forest department faced the challenge of deciding how to care for the baby elephant. They considered raising her in the camp or adding her to the herd, unsure if she could join a herd without her mother. However, their efforts paid off when a female elephant from the herd embraced the cub and took her in as her own.
Rajkumar, the Field Director of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, expressed his happiness at the successful reunion, stating that their goal was to reunite the cub with the herd where her brother was. The baby elephant, closely monitored with a drone, has seamlessly integrated into the herd, a rare occurrence for a baby elephant without her mother.
The forest department's decision to release the baby elephant into the herd was met with success, as the video footage shows her crossing the Sathyamangalam-Mysuru National Highway with her newfound family. Samples from the deceased mother elephant's body have been sent to the laboratory for analysis.
IAS officer Supriya Sahu, who is the Additional Principal Secretary of Forests, Tamil Nadu government praised the efforts of the forest department, stating that despite the challenging circumstances, the reunion demonstrates the strong social bonds among elephants in the region.
