A child elephant who was separated from his mom and the remainder of his herd in a wildlife park in Tamil Nadu, south India, has been reunited with them by park officers.

An aerial {photograph} taken by officers reveals the mom and calf, three days later, having fun with a nap on a slight incline with the child nestled within the nook of his mom’s chest.

The newborn, solely 4 to 5 months outdated, turned separated from the mom and the herd at Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Pollachi on 29 December. Wildlife wardens noticed him in misery trying round for his mom.

Often a herd doesn’t transfer on when a calf goes lacking however on this case each mom and the herd had travelled about 2.5 miles (4km) away.

“Principally, the herd strikes away however a smaller group hangs round to find the lacking calf. However typically the herd, significantly if it’s an space the place there’s animal-human battle, strikes away for security. The matriarch has to decide on between the welfare of the herd and the welfare of 1 calf,” stated Kartick Satyanarayan, the chief govt of Wildlife SOS.

As soon as the calf was discovered, a day after he was separated, drones have been used to find the herd. Earlier than taking the calf to the herd, forest officers bathed him and unfold mud on him to cut back any human smells.

“It means the mom and aunts will welcome the calf again and it reduces their anxiousness about any human imprint,” stated Satyanarayan.

The calf was then bundled on to a truck to be taken for the reunion.

The employees have been requested to watch the mom and calf for a couple of days extra and that’s how they got here throughout the 2 of them having a quiet nap.

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This article by Amrit Dhillon was first printed by The Guardian on 3 January 2024. Lead Picture: Wildlife wardens had seen the calf in misery trying round for his mom. {Photograph}: Tamil Nadu Forest Division.