It was morning of 18th May when Deepa Mathur a professor at Government Polytechnic College in Kota was taking a morning safari at the famed Kabini region of Nagarhole National Park when she spotted a bull elephant. The elephant was trying to crossover to another part of the forest when he got stuck in the boundary which separates the forest from the nearby villages.
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Deepa recalls, “He somehow managed to get into a trench which is the boundary which separates the forest from the nearby village. So he was caught in between the iron grills on his left and a long length of mound on his right. He kept trying to escape from this kilometers of narrow path but simply couldn’t.”
Deepa clicked some quick pictures and saw that forest officials were eager to help the elephant but did not want to intrude, so observed from a distance.
When Deepa finished her safari and came back she was surprised to see the elephant had not given up.
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“I saw him at the beginning of my morning safari and after about 2-3 hours when I returned, I saw that he had managed to turn back and walk back a long long way towards freedom……..And you should have seen his joy when he came charging out of the entrance.”
“He gave one blow on a billboard which went flying in the air and ran happily back home…I was very happy for him, poor boy.”
Deepa who is also pursuing her doctorate in Robotics in Bio-medical engineering and is a passionate wildlife photographer during free time adds that this chance encounter taught her an important lesson about life,
“He kind of gave me hopes, reminded me that it is never too late to turn back and escape towards a life of happiness and freedom. All it takes is intelligence, courage to tread back through the rough patches, determination and an optimistic outlook!”
Kabini backwaters is home to the largest congregation of Asiatic Elephants anywhere and it is quite often that elephants can be seen roaming in these parts. As many villages are on the periphery of the forested region incidents of elephants entering villages too is not unheard of. However, the elephant Deepa witnessed was able to peacefully return to his jungle home without any incidence. As for the billboard? We say…good riddance!
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All images posted with permission from the photographer and are subject to copyright.
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