Bhunte, now, is a nine-year-old bull*! And his sister, Sano, born on the 6th of November, 2021, is now over four years old. Over the years, Bhunte has been a caring brother, always protecting Sano wherever they go. Once, when a tiny mugger croc, Kaila, chased Sano, Bhunte charged and struck him. Kaila’s snout was broken, and he could barely eat for months afterwards. Sano, too, has been a good sister, following Bhunte wherever he goes. She runs after butterflies hovering over her dung and stops when her brother Bhunte trumpets for her to halt. Above all, Sano has learned to imitate her brother, throwing dust over herself as Bhunte does, scratching her eyes with a twig as he does, trumpeting and chasing packs of wild dogs (dholes) just like him. That last lesson was frightening, as the dholes once surrounded her, until Bhunte’s aunts rushed in to rescue her. From then on, Sano began to learn what to copy and what not to.

Today, at a rain puddle, Bhunte bathed himself while Sano stood watching a myna pick beetles from her dung. When she noticed Bhunte, she ran toward him and did exactly what he did. Bhunte splashed gallons of water over himself; Sano followed suit, though with barely a litre. As Bhunte grows older, Sano will need to learn how to live as an elephant on her own. The sad part is that Bhunte will soon leave her, a truth Sano does not yet understand.

*Bhunte turns 9! 🐘🎉

If you’d like to wish Bhunte on his birthday, send your message drifting through the dense digital forest to bhuntelephant@gmail.com 😇❤️

*On a quiet evening at the Indian Institute of Science, the idea of Bhunte first took shape, born in thought on the 16th of December, 2016. From that moment, he began his long, unforgettable journey!