Forest officials in Tamil Nadu ended 2023 with a smile on their face after reuniting a baby elephant with its mother at the Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Pollachi. On 29 December, a team of field officers found the calf lost at Pannimedu estate in Manambolly forest range.
Recognising the baby in distress, they sprung to action and launched an action plan to find its mother and reunite it with the herd. A team of forest officers first took the calf to a reserve forest area, while on the other side, officials used drones to locate the elephant herd and script the perfect reunion.
After locating the herd, they bathed the calf in a river and applied mud on its body to reduce the human scent. Within five hours of spotting the calf, it was reunited with its mother and the herd of almost 10 elephants.
The video of the calf following the mother was shared by IAS officer Supriya Sahu, who serves as the additional Chief Secretary, Environment Climate Change & Forests, in the Tamil Nadu government.
The post has amassed over 8.84 lakh views and has captured the pulse of the internet. This plan was successfully completed due to the efforts of Chief Conservator of Forests, Ramasubramanian, forest officers, Bhargava Teja and Manikantan, along with other officers on field.
Three days later, Sahu shared another heartwarming picture of the baby elephant, nestled in the arms of its mother, sleeping peacefully.
Forest officers are keeping a close eye on the baby to ensure that it doesn’t wander off again. It was one of these four teams who captured this million dollar shot of the mom and the baby in deep slumber in the middle of a tea plantation near Valparai.
Edited by Padmashree Pande.
