GUWAHATI: On Friday afternoon, an elephant calf's carcass was recovered in a field in the Udalguri region of Assam.
According to sources, locals in the Paneri area saw the calf and alerted the forest authorities. The mother elephant, distraught and unsure of what to do, was spotted with tears sliding down her eyes, close to the calf's body.
What makes the situation even more heartbreaking is that the mother elephant kept her ground and wouldn't leave the baby's side. It even made an attempt to stir the infant with her trunk but to no avail.
Its demise's cause has not yet been determined.
An elephant calf's body was discovered in a reserve forest last month in Assam's Nagaon district, close to Kaziranga National Park.
It has been suspected that the calf passed away after being struck by an adult elephant. Additionally, it supposedly had an illness.
According to research, when a mother elephant's calf dies, the others surround her and give her all the space she needs to mourn and grieve. They don't pressure her to move quickly or to get rid of the body. They silently demonstrate their undying support by gently touching her with their trunks.
The vast majority of people continue to hold the misconception that animals cannot experience emotions like fear, tension, or grief. However, this elephant mother is evidence that in the natural world, animals are incredibly compassionate and lament the loss of their loved ones.
Sources also said as the human-elephant clashes in Assam have gotten worse over the past few years, an equal number of people and wild elephants are dying. The state forest department reports that 61 humans have died in jumbo attacks since January of the last year, compared to 72 wild elephants that have perished so far. 18 elephants perished in lightning near the Kanduli planned reserve forest in May 2021; three died from electrocution and three from poisoning; the causes of the deaths of the remaining 17 elephants are still unknown.
Also watch: