A tragic incident occurred in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district late Saturday night when a baby elephant was crushed to death by an adult elephant while a herd was bathing in a forest pond. The grieving elephants guarded the carcass and trumpeted throughout the night beside the waterbody, preventing forest officials from conducting a postmortem.
Incident Details
The accident took place near Aamamuda pond in the forested Pushalda village area under Chhal range. According to forest officials and villagers, around 70 elephants have been moving in different groups across the region over the past several days. Around 8 pm, a herd entered the pond to cool off amid intense summer heat. During the commotion in the water, the calf was accidentally trapped beneath a larger elephant, leading to its death.
Herd's Mourning Behavior
Residents reported that a female elephant, believed to be the calf's mother, later pulled the carcass out of the pond. The herd then surrounded the dead calf and continued trumpeting near the waterbody throughout the night. This behavior is typically seen as a form of mourning among elephants. Even on Sunday morning, the elephants were seen circling the carcass, preventing forest and veterinary teams from approaching.
Forest Department Response
Forest department officials, along with veterinarians, rushed to the area after receiving information about the death but were forced to wait at a distance as the herd refused to move away from the carcass. Officials stated that the postmortem and further examination would be conducted only after the elephants retreat deeper into the forest, leaving the carcass behind.
Rising Calf Fatalities
The death has raised concerns over the increasing number of elephant calf fatalities in Raigarh district. Drowning has been the most common cause, but this incident adds to a worrying trend. With the latest incident, at least eight elephant calves have died across different forest ranges in the district over the past five months.
Elephant Movement Corridor
Raigarh remains one of Chhattisgarh's most sensitive elephant movement corridors, with large herds frequently passing through Dharamjaigarh, Chhal, and adjoining forest belts. Forest officials said they have been closely monitoring elephant movement amid increasing human-elephant interactions and repeated wildlife distress incidents during the peak summer months.
