Bhunte: The baby elephant

For Bhunte, his mother means a lot. And it is true for all the animals. He realizes that he has been troubling her now and then, in fact often by disobeying her instructions. But, he loves her a lot and he cannot think of going off from her sight. It happened once when he somehow lost the track, got separated from his mother and kept crying the whole day until he found her looking for him. It was a relief. A relief only a lost child can feel. Elephants’ family starts with a bond between a mother and a calf. If this bond is broken, their social fabrics get distorted! Bhunte still carries that fear of being lost!

For Bhunte’s mother, Bhunte is everything. 22-months of carrying her in her womb and bearing all challenges in her forest and outside forests, she still remembers and rejoices how he crawled and stumbled to reach her when he was born. She was in pain and bleeding profusely, but she was happy to see that tiny trunk reaching to her. And now, she observes Bhunte playing with a little ladybug and sharing his joy with her; she knows Bhunte is going to be a good guardian of the forests. All elephants are. She is glad to be his mother.

*This short story is in regard with an 8-month-old elephant calf who got separated from the herd and was physically harassed by the youths in one of the villages in India. The bond elephants share with themselves is unique and strong. Such separations cause physiological and psychological stress to an elephant. In addition, being physically harassed enhances the stress levels in elephants. Preventing such stressful conditions for these animals may help in their welfare!