The officials located the elephant herd with the use of drones and experienced forest watchers.
Elephants are familial creatures and they move around in herds. However, sometimes, calves get separated from their herd and have to be reunited. In one such rescue operation, forest officials at the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) in Tamil Nadu successfully rescued and reunited a lost elephant calf with its herd. The calf was discovered wandering alone, searching for its mother. The age of the elephant calf was about 4 to 5 months.
A search party was sent to trace the herd from which the calf had separated and the herd was identified around 3 km away with the help of drones, an official said. The calf was safely taken to the spot, after which he was washed and mud was applied to him to remove any human imprint. The calf was subsequently released close to the herd, after which it reunited with its mother.
Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Supriya Sahu shared videos of the rescue operation on X and appreciated everyone who was involved in the operation.
”The year ends on a heartwarming note for us at TN Forest Department, as our Foresters united a lost baby elephant with her mother and the herd after rescue in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve at Pollachi. The little calf was found searching for the mother when field teams spotted her. With the help of drones & experienced forest watchers, the herd was located and the tiny calf was safely reunited. Teams are still on ground for monitoring. Kudos to Ramasubramanian, CF, Bhargava Teja FD, Range officer Manikantan, and the entire team,” she wrote while sharing videos.
The clips showed how the officials led the operation to search for the elephant’s family. In the video, the baby elephant can be seen attentively following the rescue team and then reuniting with its mother.
Watch the videos here:
The year ends on a heartwarming note for us at TN Forest Department, as our Foresters united a lost baby elephant with her mother and the herd after rescue in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve at Pollachi. The little calf was found searching for the mother when field teams spotted her.… pic.twitter.com/D44UX6FaGl
— Supriya Sahu IAS (@supriyasahuias) December 30, 2023
Many internet users hailed the officer and her team for their prompt response in rescuing a distressed animal. One user wrote, ”Wonderful work. Yes, truly remarkable year-end feeling. Congratulations Supriyaji and your team.”
Industrialist Anand Mahindra also gave a shoutout to Ms Sahu and her team. He wrote, ”Admiring Bravo @supriyasahuias ! You’ve demonstrated that Compassion and technology are a powerful combination that can help humans be peaceful co-habitants on this planet. Make a short film out of this wonderful story, please.”
Bravo @supriyasahuias ! You’ve demonstrated that Compassion & Technology are a powerful combination that can help humans be peaceful co-habitants of this planet.
Make a short film out of this wonderful story, please. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 https://t.co/BXJYB3dATn— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) December 31, 2023
Another user wrote, ”Fantastic work on bringing the baby elephant back to its mother! Such moments underscore the importance of wildlife conservation and the bonds of animal families.”
A third added, ”Congratulations to the TN Forest Department team for their incredible efforts in reuniting the lost baby elephant with her mother and herd! Your dedication, combined with the use of drones and the expertise of the field teams, is truly commendable. Kudos.”
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