Jumbo calf refuses to bid adieu to dead mother

DHNS

Mysore, 03 April 2011: Screams of ear-pie­r­cing agony filled the air as a four-year-old calf’s efforts to bring the mother elephant lying in a pool of blood back to the warmth of life went in vain.

 

This was a heartrending scene for those gathered at Vadavadakanamala in H D Kote taluk on Friday, where  an elephant in search of food was allegedly shot by a farm owner for raiding his plantation adjacent to the forests on Thursday . The man reportedly fired point-blank resulting in the death of the elephant on the spot. The bullet pierced the animal’s ear, killing it instantly.

 

When a team of forest officers reached the spot, the calf was found near the carcass, repeatedly trying to wake up the “dead” mother. It refused to leave the spot, despite the constant efforts by the staff and the veterinarian.

 

Seeing the men in khaki at a close distance, the calf panicked and tried to charge at the guards and forest officers.

 

Understanding its trauma, the forest officials preferred to keep a distance and watched the movements of the calf.  This went on for nearly three to four hours. And the staff set fire to dried leaves to shoo away the calf.  After seeing the fire and people, the calf had a last glance of its mother and retreated to the forest.

 

 The forest guards stood guard near the carcass till the veterinarian conducted the postmortem.

 

Chief Conservator of Forests (Project Elephant) Ajay Mishra who visited the spot told Deccan Herald that the calf was not ready to leave the spot where the carcass of its mother was lying for hours.

 

It is common especially among elephants. He recollected the recent Alur incident where the mother elephant stood guard near its dead calves which were electrocuted, for nearly two days.