Keonjhar: Heart-wrenching visuals have emerged from the Hadagarh forest range under the Anandapur Wildlife division in Keonjhar as pictures showed an elephant calf trying to lift and wake its dead mother. The incident has deeply moved many animal lovers and wildlife enthusiasts. After the death of the mother elephant Wednesday, the teary-eyed young tusker repeatedly tried to lift her from the ground but eventually, in despair, returned to the forest. The tragic incident has touched the hearts of many who saw the pictures which have since gone viral.
The photos have been confirmed as authentic by the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Abhay Kumar Dalai. The young tusker spent several hours beside the lifeless body of its mother trying to revive her. The young elephant would leave only to return again and try once more to wake her. After multiple futile attempts, the baby elephant eventually gave up and returned to the forest, the local range officer said. The death of an elephant is always a sorrowful event, but the tragic sight of the bond between a mother elephant and her calf makes it even more heartbreaking, locals said. The Hadagarh elephant sanctuary covers an area of 91.89 sq kms spreading across multiple forest divisions including Anandpur, Balasore, Baripada, and Karanjia. Elephants in the area do not stay in one place for long and migrate frequently. The elephant and calf duo had been seen roaming in the region for some days before this incident.