Our Bureau
Bhopal
This Tuesday, on 8th July India lost its oldest female elephant, Vatsala. Vatsala was the oldest female elephant in the whole Asian continent and was over 100 years old. The elephant that travelled from Kerala to Madhya Pradesh in her lifespan breathed her last in the Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) yesterday.
The oldest and one of the most loved elephants in Panna, Vatsala was lovingly known as Dadi, and Dai Maa because of her old age. It was reported by the senior forest officers that the elephant was under observation of the veterans for a while as she suffered multiple organ failures and this Tuesday succumbed to death.
Vatsala was not just an ordinary elephant, she was an institution within the Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR). The elephant due to her old age, was really known for her maternal instincts as the oldest elephants become the caregiver to the little elephant calves. She was the one caring for the whole herd and even assisting them during the birth of the new members of the herd.
The elephant was born in the Nilambur forests of Kerala. Vatsala began working in Kerala in the timber trade. Later in the year 1971, the elephant left the South state and was brought to Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh. She was there for 22 years before finally being transferred to the Panna Tiger Reserve where she stayed for the rest of her life.
At the Panna Tiger Reserve, for a decade Vatsala played a handy role in tracking tigers and helping the wildlife reserve in their conservation efforts. Ten years later she retired in 2003 but didn’t stop working and dedicated her remaining life to nurturing younger elephants, offering warmth and companionship rarely seen in the animal kingdom.
