In what is described as a ‘Dasara gift’ ahead of the famous festivities in Mysuru, Lakshmi, a 21-year-old Dasara elephant, gave birth to a male calf in the palace premises on September 13 night. The mother and the baby have been separated from the Dasara jumbo camp. Veterinarians are monitoring their health.
“The mother Lakshmi and the newborn calf are healthy and doing well,” according to a forest official.
It is perhaps for the first time in recent years that a female Dasara elephant has delivered a calf in the palace premises while on a training for the ‘Jamboo Savari’. Normally, pregnant jumbos are not selected for Dasara tasks.
Lakshmi, who belongs to the Ramapura elephant camp in Bandipur, was brought to Mysuru in August as part of ‘Gajapayana’, along with eight other elephants. The Dasara jumbo squad comprises 14 elephants.
“The mahouts and old-timers in the department are saying that an elephant giving birth while in Mysuru for Dasara tasks is uncommon, at least in the last two-and-a-half decades. About 25 years ago, a female Dasara elephant is said to have given birth, but this is yet to be confirmed,” said Deputy Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) V. Karikalan.
Mr. Karikalan, who is in charge of Dasara elephants, told The Hindu that none, including the mahout, were aware that Lakshmi was expecting. “On September 13 morning, we separated her from the jumbo camp on learning that she was in an advanced stage of pregnancy because of her unusual behavior. We had to monitor her health. Around 8.15 p.m., she comfortably delivered the baby. Both mother and calf are healthy,” he said.
Elephants have a long gestation period ranging from 18 to 22 months. As a result, it is difficult to detect pregnancy in an elephant.
Forest authorities check the health of each elephant while selecting jumbos for Dasara tasks. “Normally, the vets or the mahouts are aware of pregnancy in jumbos. However, we had no prior information about Lakshmi’s pregnancy. If we did, we wouldn’t have selected her. Like other jumbos, Lakshmi was taken care of with a special diet daily,” the DCF said.
Lakshmi gained weight, going from 2,920 kg to 3,150 kg in a span of one month.
In fact, the department wanted to bring Kunthi in the second batch, but the vets informed the organisers that she was in an advanced stage of pregnancy. That created space for Vijaya, a 63-year-old elephant, who joined the jumbo squad for the Dasara festivities.
Lakshmi has now been ruled out for the Dasara festivities, but the department is not considering a replacement as the jumbo squad has three other female elephants – Chaitra and Kaveri (Kumki elephants), and Vijaya. “We don’t need a replacement, as we are using 10 elephants for the Jamboo Savari,” Mr. Karikalan added.
“The mother is feeding the calf. The next week is crucial for the calf,” the DCF said.
Lakshmi’s mahout and kavadi are with the elephant.
Pramoda Devi Wadiyar of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family visited the elephant camp on September 14 morning and enquired about the calf’s health.
