3 jumbos guarding dead calf move back to forest

The villagers upon hearing continuous trumpeting of a herd of three wild elephants at a betel nut farm, had informed the staff of the Forest Department, who then made efforts to drive away the adults and recover the carcass of the calf. All the three adults, of which one is believed to be the mother of the dead calf, however refused to move away.

As their desperate attempts to wake up the calf jumbo failed, the three adult elephants finally moved away on Sunday afternoon.

“After some initial efforts, we suspended our efforts to chase the elephant herd as there are chances for them to intrude into human settlements, if disturbed persistently. So, it was decided to wait until they move away on their own. A post mortem is likely to be done on Monday to know the age and sex of the dead animal. The calf jumbo is likely to have slipped and fallen to death in the loose mud. However, the exact reasons behind its death will be known only after an autopsy,” said an official.