Elephant 'Lakshmi' steals the show at rejuvenation camp with her mouth organ playing skills

'Lakshmi', a female elephant has become famous among locals at a rejuvenation camp in Thekkampatti. She has almost aced the art of playing mouth organ. All credits go to her mahout Balan. He kept on trying to train Lakshmi and finally succeeded. India has over 50 percent of Asiatic elephant population, which are considered intelligent.

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Another jumbo dies on track

Elephants’ death on the railway tracks continuing, another died on Haridwar-Dehradun tracks near Motichur forest range just four kms ahead of Raiwala junction on Tuesday, the fourth such death over the past one and half year. It is learnt that female elephant aged around 34 years was mowed down by speeding Kathgodam Express around midnight. The forest officers claimed that they had warned the loco pilot of the jumbo movement around the tracks and asked him to bring down the speed of the train sufficiently, a warning which the loco pilot refused to heed. However, the wild life lovers rejected such claims, saying that it was nothing but the long-continuing pass the buck game.

It is further learnt that a team of doctors was rushed to the spot where the jumbo was lying injured immediately after the incident, but it succumbed around 5 am.

Quizzed over continuation of such on the track deaths of the elephants, the principal chief conservator of forests, Uttarakhand, Jai Raj termed the death very unfortunate. “We are all deeply sad and an emergency meeting has been called on Wednesday where the officers of Wildlife Institute of India would be present. We would discuss things threadbare and a strategy would be chalked out to stop recurrence of such unfortunate deaths. We would find out whether forest patrolling is continuing and whether there is a breach in our , coordination with the railway officials,” he said.


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Speeding train kills elephant in Rajaji Tiger Reserve

A female elephant was killed after being run over by a speeding train in Rajaji Tiger Reserve on Tuesday, a forest official said.
The 35-year-old elephant was part of a group of 17 elephants crossing rail tracks parallel to NH-58 in Himalayan colony at 12:05 am on Tuesday when the high-speed Dehradun-Kathgodam Express was passing by, the official said.
While forest staff tried to alert the train driver, he did not slow down the train, resulting in the death of the elephant.
The death comes despite claims of preventive measures being taken by the Rajaji Tiger Reserve authority and railways.
Park patrolling teams were on duty near the accident site and manually signalled the train driver to stop.
Park employee Roshanlal said they tried to aware the loco pilot by showing torch light as there were more than a dozen elephants in human habitat area, trying to cross the railway track.
Rajaji Tiger Reserve director Sanatan Sonkar said it was a shocking incident for which both the park management and railways has been working jointly to curb such incidents.
“We are investigating this matter and if found guilty, we will file case against the train driver and are also taking steps to lessen such accidents by putting up censors and camera traps,” he added.
Another park official, on condition of anonymity, said many times train drivers don’t follow the minimum speed limit and take precautions.


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Train kills elephant in Uttarakhand

Dehradun, June 26 : A female elephant was found dead in the Rajaji Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand on Tuesday after being run over by a train, a forest official said. Officials told IANS that a group of 17 elephants was crossing the rail tracks when the high-speed Dehradun-Kathgodam Express was passing by.

While foresters tried to alert the driver, he did not slow down the train, resulting in the death of the elephant.

Drivers of trains are expected to slow down while passing through the national park. But elephants continue to be hit and killed by trains.

The management of the forest reserve said a case will be filed against the train driver.


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Elephant hurls its keeper from its back and tramples him to death at a temple in India

An elephant trampled its own keeper to death in a tragic accident at a temple in India.

The keeper, named only as Gajendran, 48, was killed while riding the beast at the Samayapuram Mariamman temple in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu.

Horrifying footage from the scene showed Gajendran's body being booted around by the enraged animal as blood poured onto the floor of the main temple building.

The elephant is kept on the site for the purpose of blessing pilgrims. But she suddenly decided to attack her 48-year-old carer on Tuesday.

He had reportedly been sitting on her back when she plucked him free using her trunk, and then trampled him to death.

The elephant was only brought under control after 40 minutes by a team of four daring carers from the temple.

According to local media, there were around 300 people in the building at the time - all of whom managed to get clear of the rampaging animal.

Temple officials said the 10 year-old female elephant named Masini had been living at the temple for the past four years without issue.

A police spokesperson said they were not sure what had caused the elephant to become angry.

The forestry Ministry official added: 'A team of vets have arrived to provide treatment to the elephant. The dead man's body has been retrieved and has been sent for post-mortem.

'He had worked as a keeper for four years until this happened.'

The temple has been closed while police carry out an investigation into the incident and the elephant moved to a new location for at least three months.


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Carcass of female elephant found in Dhenkanal village

Dhenkanal: In yet another case of elephant death in the state, a female elephant was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Similipatna near Ichhapur village under Sadar Forest Range in Dhenkanal district on Monday.

The pachyderm, aged around 12 years was spotted by some residents of Ballabh Sahi early in the morning, who informed forest officials immediately.

A team led by Dhenkanal DFO and comprised of forest officials of Sadar Range reached the spot and conducted the preliminary investigation later in the morning. They have suspected that the jumbo could have died due to electrocution. The animal was also appeared to be pregnant from the physical structure, they added.

Forest officials have launched a drive to disperse an elephant herd which was seen at a distance of at least 500 meters from the spot where the dead jumbo was found.


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Elephant tramples mahout to death in Samayapuram temple

TIRUCHY: The elephant of the famous Mariamman temple at Samayapuram near Tiruchy went wild on Friday and tragically killed its mahout when he tried to control the animal with his ‘elephant goad’. As a result of this incident, the temple was closed for ‘darshan’ to the devotees. It is likely that the ‘darshan’ will resume on Saturday, sources told DC over the phone.

Police said nine-year-old female elephant named ‘Masini’, which was tied to a pillar near the rear entrance of the temple suddenly became restless and started trumpeting loudly.

On seeing the elephant’s unusual behavior, its mahout Gajendran attempted to control the elephant by giving her blow with his ‘goad’ (‘Angusam’) on its front leg. But the elephant turned wild, caught hold of the mahout by its trunk, threw him on the ground and stamped him to death.

The panic-stricken devotees and temple staff ran helter-skelter for their safety. In the melee, at least seven devotees sustained minor injuries. The temple authorities then cleared the large number of devotees inside the sanctum sanctorum. The staff locked all the four gates by leaving the incensed elephant inside the temple complex.

Police rushed to the spot and removed the injured to the hospital and informed the matter to the Forest department. The officials who came to the spot expressed their inability to inject tranquilizer to the elephant to bring it under control. Meanwhile, six other mahouts from nearby temples were rushed to the spot and they managed to bring the elephant under control, by tying the back legs of the elephant.


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Pachyderm is rescued in Thailand in ‘Love & Bananas: An Elephant Story’

Ashley Bell would seem to be among the unlikeliest to make an important documentary on the plight of Asian elephants. But the actress known for “The Last Exorcism” low-budget horror films calls attention to a real-life horror story with her simple but emotional and effective “Love & Bananas: An Elephant Story.”

And a scary movie it is. You will not see the disclaimer “no animals were harmed in the making of this film,” because Bell wants to show us what real animal abuse looks like — she films the cruelty of the “Crush Box,” a small wooden cage where baby elephants separated from their mothers are beaten and tortured to break their spirit, a common practice.


But it is ultimately heartwarming, as she focuses her film on the rescue of a single elephant by one rather amazing Thai woman.

The elephant is Noi Na, a 70-year-old partially blind female who has been abused for decades, forced to spend long hours seven days a week giving tourists rides. Her rescuer is Lek Chailert, who has made it her life’s work — at great personal cost — to rescue elephants and to promote animal rights.

Chailert became a national figure in Thailand when she was declared an enemy of the state by the Thai government because of her criticism of policies that protect the elephants’ abusers (typically logging companies which force elephants to move heavy timber and elephant farms which train them to give tourists rides and perform in shows). As a result, her family disowned her.

However when her work became internationally feted by Time magazine, which named her one a Hero of Asia, and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who hosted her at the White House, the Thai government suddenly embraced her. Funny how that works.

Chailert’s biggest legacy is her foundation and her Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary where rescued elephants are freed, cared for and allowed to roam. It is here where Noi Na is to spend her final years — if she can make it there. The suspenseful portion of “Love & Bananas” is the delicate, dangerous process of transporting a resistant elephant 500 miles in a truck.


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Foresters’ efforts to save elephant go in vain

Coimbatore: Forest department officials’ efforts to save the female elephant, which was found unwell near Narasipuram on Sunday night, went in vain as it succumbed to its poor health condition on Tuesday.

The elephant was around 55 years old, officials said.The ailing elephant was found 2.5km away from the forest boundary near Narasipuram.

On Sunday night, local veterinarians gave it nearly 100 bottles of saline along with calcium, vitamins and minerals.

After the animal could not stand on its own, earth movers and cranes were pressed into service.

However, on Monday evening, the elephant walked into the forest.Manoharan, forest department veterinarian who conducted the postmortem, said the elephant had stomach infection.

“It suffered from diarrhoea and there were parasites in its stomach.



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Wild elephant dies of intestinal worms

A 25-year-old female elephant was found dead at Athanithumukkal forest area in Andhiyur forest division in Erode district on Tuesday. According to forest officials, the elephant died of intestinal worms.

“The elephant had been suffering from intestinal worms and it had stopped eating. Subsequently, its health had deteriorated,” said a forest official.

Earlier in the day, local residents spotted the carcass and alerted the forest officials. Veterinarians attached to the district forest office were brought to perform the autopsy.

“It is normal for elephants to have roundworms in intestines. But when the situation aggravates, elephants stop taking food,” said a forest veterinarian.

After the postmortem, the carcass was buried in the forest.


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Goods train hit a female elephant crossing the track

A 20 year old female elephant sustained leg injury when a coal laden train hit the right leg of the back side in the early hours on Saturday at Kaunriapal under Sadar range her.

The injured elephants was in the herd which was passing the track.She was the last elephant to pass the track when the train hit the animalAssistant conservator of forest JN Dash said the injured elephant was hit by the train at about 4 AM .The injured elephant was rushed to nearby forest through the NH 55 affecting the traffic for some time.".

Mr Das said that elephant is seemed to be in a good condition.She will be given pain killer on Saturday. "We have asked doctors from Nandankanan to treat the injured animal.

In another incident one elephant coming out of her herd killed a 50 year old woman in village Kaunriapala under Sadar range this morning. It occurred in early morning when the woman had a face off with the herd in the village side.

Irate villagers detained some forest officials demanding action by forest department to chase away the elephant from their area.They later released them after being assured of steps .

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Lab reports confirm poisoning of tigers and elephant at sanctuary; forest dept launches probe

CHAMARAJANAGAR: In a curious turn of events, the forest department has launched an investigation into the death of two tigers and an elephant, in Bandipur Tiger Reserve, following a lab report from Coimbatore. The incident was reported in January. According to the sources, the animals were killed by mixing poison in the river.
Speaking to ToI, Punati Sridhar, PCCF confirmed that the wild animals were poisoned. “The report we received from a lab in Coimbatore confirmed the poisoning. The department will investigate the incident,” he said.

It can be recalled that on January 25, the forest department authorities had recovered the dead bodies of two tigers and a female elephant from the Bandipur Tiger Reserve of the Gopala Swamy Betta (G S Betta) region. The carcass samples were sent to three laboratories. Even though two lab reports were negative for the alleged poisoning, the third report has pointed towards foul play. Based on the findings, the forest department has launched the investigation.

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Wounded elephant strays into village

KARWAR:An wounded elephant that strayed into Bisalakoppa in Sirsi taluk on Friday sent panic waves among the villagers.The elephant was seen hitting itself on trees and heap of mud. It did not attack the villagers or their properties. The residents informed the police and the forest department. Soon, the forest staff, police and doctors rushed to the village.

The forest staff are planning to shift the elephant to Sakrebailu elephant camp in Shivamogga district for treatment.The villagers suspect that the elephant, which is away from its herd, might have lost its eye sight. Hence, it is hitting itself on the trees and is not able to find the way to the forest.The doctors said the elephant has been suffering from an eye infection and there are three wounds on its body. Due to severe injuries, it’s not eating anything and behaving abnormally.

Sources in the Forest Department said the female elephant is 8-10-year-old. It might have sustained injuries after fight with other elephants in its group. It is suspected to have come from the forest in Yellapur.

Deputy conservator of forest (Sirsi) Sudarshan N D told Express that the elephant has been suffering from an eye infection. Hence, it is not in a position to recognise the objects.”We sent an email to the department requesting it to shift the elephant to Sakrebailu elephant camp, where it can be given treatment. After getting nod from the department, further action will be taken,” he added.

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NGO petitions Bihar wildlife warden for action against cruelty towards captive elephants

New Delhi, Mar 30 (PTI) To ensure that captive elephants in Bihar were not ill-treated by their owners to make them work harder, as was done to a 30-year-old pachyderm that died recently due to the cruel treatment, a Delhi-based NGO has petitioned the wildlife warden of that state to take strict action against those who engage in such activities.

The NGO, Wildlife SOS, claimed that the 30-year-old female elephant, Laxmi, was beaten and starved to death by its owners.

The NGO, which is engaged in rescuing and rehabilitating wild animals in distress, said the incident at Motihari in Bihar highlighted the harsh reality of cruelty and neglect that privately-owned captive elephants suffered.

It further claimed that Laxmi was poached from the wild as a calf and chained and tortured for years, adding that the animal was later sold to the elephant traffickers.

"Years of abuse and malnourishment had left the animals body fragile and severely weakened and its bones brittle and compromised. The skin had sagged over its bony frame and the legs caved inward, no longer able to support the weight of its body," the NGO said.

It added that despite the elephant being in such a weak condition, its owners had allegedly attacked it with sharp spears, bull-hooks and sticks to force it to work. Unable to bear the suffering, the animal had collapsed and died, the NGO said.

The owners of the animal had fled the scene before forest department officials, who were informed by the NGO, reached the spot. PTI HMP RC RC

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Two elephants found dead in two places

COIMBATORE: Two bodies of two she elephants were found in the forest areas of this and nearby Nilgiris district, forest department sources said.
The body of a 30-year-old elephant was found in Mielmukkai area in Sirumugai forest range in the district, they said.

Preliminary inquiry revealed that the death was due to some illness.
The carcass of a three-year elephant was found in Needle Rock near Nilgiris district, they said.

It was suspected that the death could be due to lack proper food and water, they said.

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20-year-old elephant found dead

Erode: A 20-year-old female elephant was found dead in an elephant proof trench near Sathyamangalam forest here on Monday evening.

According to forest officials, the elephant and its three-year-old calf were roaming at Pavalakkuttai village near Sathyamangalam forest. “They tried to enter into an agriculture field. But the mother elephant fell into the elephant proof trench, which was dug to prevent elephants from entering into human habitat, and sustained injuries. The elephant was already suffering from intestinal worms,” said a forest officer.

The farm owner, M Badrinath, 41, informed the forest department. “The elephant could not come out and died on the spot,” said the officer.

The carcass was taken out of the pit on Monday evening. But due to bad light, the postmortem was conducted only on Tuesday morning. The carcass was later buried inside the forest.

Meanwhile, when the carcass was brought up on Monday evening, the calf refused to move away from the mother and jabbed it with the trunk. The officials, at last, chased the calf away into the forest.

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Death toll of elephants in Kodagu dist rises to five

Madikeri , Karnataka, Mar 18 (UNI) The death toll of elephants in Kodagu district has risen to five since the last three days with one more death reported in Rangasamudra.
Forest officials said that the 15-year-old female elephant, which was rescued on Thursday from a slush pond, succumbed to dehydration on Saturday night.


The elephant was rescued at Parlakoti village in Rangasamundra in a operation overseen by the Madikeri forest division.
Deputy Conservator of Forests Manjunath said that the doctors provided her with the best treatment but she died.”


Forest department authorities said that the elephant, which got stuck inside a pond plantation, ate nothing after it was pulled out. “It stopped eating, and drinking water from Thursday, and had injuries on its left leg.”


The officials carried out post-mortem and it was buried inside the Minukoli forest area. The body was earlier transported by a tractor, with the help of elephants.


In another incident, a 40-year-old male elephant found dead in the Srimangala Wildlife Range. The officials suspected that the elephant might have died two days back. Details of death will be known only after post-mortem.


The death of the young elephant comes close on the heels of the death of three others in Soorikadu village. On Thursday, Three elephants died – including a mother and its calf. While the mother elephant was 35, the calf was around five months old.


On the other hand, the death of five elephants in a span of three days has raised the hackles of environmentalists, who want the state government to roll out a concrete action plan to save wild elephants in the Western Ghats.


“In the past six months, there have been numerous incidents of wild elephants dying in Kodagu and Hassan.

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Five elephants killed by train in India

A train has struck and killed five elephants as they crossed over tracks at a tea plantation in northeast India, an official said Monday.

The elephants, including a pregnant female, were part of a larger herd wandering through the plantation early Sunday in Assam state, home to India’s biggest wild elephant population, when they were mowed down by the train.

“All five elephants died on the spot. A stillborn calf was later removed from the pregnant female,” said Vikas Brahma, head of Assam’s forest department.

Brahma told AFP it was uncommon for elephants to move through that section of Assam, a thickly-forested state famed for its tea and wildlife, and officials were unaware there were herds in the area.

Railway authorities have been issuing alerts about elephant herds passing through the state to prevent accidents.

But a railway spokesman told the Indian Express newspaper that no speed restrictions were in place at the time of the accident on Sunday, as the area was not a designated migratory path for elephants.

Deforestation and construction activity near their habitats force elephants to stray further afield for food, often bringing them into conflict with humans.

Many busy migratory routes, known as elephant corridors, have been cut by roads and railway lines in Assam and neighbouring West Bengal state, increasing the risk of accidental deaths, poaching and stampedes.

Assam has 5,620 elephants according to a 2011 census, more than any other state in India.

An estimated 60 elephants have died so far this year in Assam, Brahma said.

Many of the deaths were caused by electrocution, as farmers erect electrified fences around their fields to keep wild animals away.

Elsewhere, an elephant killed a trainer during a procession at a Hindu temple in the southern state of Kerala on Sunday.

The elephant ran amok amid a large group of devotees, trampling and killing the trainer, the Press Trust of India reported.

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FIR over jumbo electrocution

Guwahati: The Assam forest department will lodge an FIR against the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) and the contractor who modified the route of the transmission line passing through a paddy field in Hojai leading to the electrocution of an elephant.

A Lumding-Guwahati empty rake was stopped between Hojai and Jugijan by forest personnel of Nagaon south division at 4.45pm on Thursday and around 60-odd elephants from Kumarakata reserve forest moved towards Tongipathar area safely.

"A 12-year-old female elephant moved out of the herd, came in contact with the low-lying transmission line and got electrocuted. The contractor, without following due procedures, modified the route of the transmission line to save money. An FIR will be lodged against APDCL and the contractor," a senior forest official told The Telegraph.

The incident took place in Dondipathar revenue village near Hojai town around 11pm on Thursday.

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Elephant rampages through east Indian town

A wild elephant rampaged through an east Indian town on Wednesday, smashing cars and homes and sending panicked people running before the animal was tranquilized to be returned to the forest.

“The elephant was scared and was trying to go back to the jungle,” said Papaiya Sarkar, a 40-year-old homemaker who watched the elephant amble down a street near her home.

The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town of Siliguri in West Bengal state.

Divisional Forest Officer Basab Rai said the female elephant appeared to be a loner without a herd, and was likely searching for food when it strayed into the town.

He said it did not attack any people, and appeared to be afraid of them. After several hours, it became clear the elephant was unable to find its way back to the forest.

As the frightened elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes, crowds of people gathered to watch from balconies and rooftops. Some followed from a distance as the elephant moved through the streets.

Elephants are increasingly coming into contact with people in India, as the human population of 1.25 billion soars and cities and towns grow at the expense of jungles and other elephant habitats.

In India and Sri Lanka, elephant vs. people encounters result in more than 400 elephants and 250 humans killed each year.

Authorities eventually shot the elephant three times with a tranquilizer gun and used a crane to lift it into a truck once it had calmed down. It was then taken to a park for domesticated pachyderms that is maintained by the forest department. Once the effect of the tranquilizer wore off, authorities planned to return the elephant to the forest, Rai said.

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