Death is the great leveller. Sakleshpur taluk, known for frequent incidents of man-animal conflict, saw a rare instance of patience and empathy portrayed by forest officials and villagers. When a newborn calf died in a paddy field at Kottanahalli in Sakleshpur on Wednesday, a herd of wild elephants, numbering to 12, gathered to mourn its death. This prompted anxious villagers to inform the Forest Department. .
The newborn died early on Wednesday. The mother stood beside the dead calf, caressing it. By evening, a herd of elephants gathered around the grieving mother and joined her in mourning.
Deputy Conservator of Forests Sivaram Babu told The Hindu , “As per the latest information from the ground, around 12 elephants are close to the spot where the calf was found dead. The mother elephant has not yet moved away and our people are not making any attempt to drive them away.”
He said veterinarians would take the carcass for post-mortem only after the herd and mother leave the spot.
“Our entire team is waiting for the elephants to leave. Till then, we will not disturb them. We are hopeful the herd will leave by night,” he added.
More than 40 elephants, in different groups, have been roaming around the taluk.
