‘Taking care of an elephant is something else,’ say Anarkali’s mahouts as they stare at life without a jumbo …

A typical day’s work for a mahout in the zoo includes taking the elephants for a walk, giving them baths, massaging and training them, keeping a watch on their health and feeding them, among other chores.

Still mourning Anarkali’s sudden death, her erstwhile mahouts — Sajid’s son Mohammed Saif Khan, 23, and Saif’s paternal uncle Mohammed Muslin Jamal, 40 — have been assigned different tasks within the zoo on a rotational basis for now. Saif, for instance, is on kitchen duty.

Like their fathers, both Saif and Muslin have experience working with other animals too. “But working and taking care of elephants is something else,” says

Saif, showing his phone’s screensaver — a picture of Anarkali.

Anarkali seen in enclosure at the zoo on World Elephant Day. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar/ File)

On how his family ended up working with these gentle giants, Sajid, who retired as a mahout in 2019, says their association with Byculla zoo started from the pre-Independence era, when his grandfather, who belonged to Uttar Pradesh, got a job there.

Sajid says, “After my grandfather, my father started working at the zoo as a maali (gardener). Later, he was appointed as a mahout.”

Between 1986 and 1991, Sajid accompanied his father and uncle to learn by observation the tricks of a mahout’s trade. “I was not trained as a mahout, neither did I train my son. It’s something you learn by observation. You need a strong kaleja (strength) to work with elephants.”

In 1994, Sajid was officially appointed as a mahout by the zoo authorities. His first charge was an elephant named Chanchalkali. “Visitors were so fascinated by Chanchalkali that they would throw coins and money into her enclosure. She also featured in a song in Aa Gale Lag Jaa, starring Shashi Kapoor,” he says.

In years that followed, Sajid managed multiple elephants — Radha, Mangaldas, who was gifted to the zoo by the Raja of Mysore, and later Anarkali too.

“Since animals can’t speak to us, it is our job to understand them. In all my years at the zoo, even during my father’s time, we never hit the elephants. We just managed them with our kadak awaaz (commanding voice). As soon as she would hear my voice, Anarkali would lift her trunk to do namaste,” Sajid says, his eyes filling with tears.

After Sajid’s retirement in 2019, his son Saif took over as the zoo mahout. In 2020, Saif’s uncle Muslin took over the job from his father.

Home to four elephants in its heyday — Radha, Rajkumar, Laxmi and Anarkali — only Laxmi and Anarkali were at the zoo when Saif took over in 2019. Anarkali was all of 12 when she, Laxmi and other elephants were brought to Byculla zoo from a circus in Bihar in 1977.

Over the years, Laxmi and Anarkali, who had formed a playful bond, continued to delight visitors. While Laxmi was not fond of interacting with strangers, Anarkali was calm and friendly.

(From left) Mohammed Saif Khan and his uncle Mohammed Muslin Jamal stand in front of Anarkali’s mahouts at Byculla zoo. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)

Saif says, “Anarkali ek dum cute elephant thi (Anarkali was a very cute elephant). She would get excited over seeing people and even run towards them. When Laxmi died, Anarkali started showing behavioural changes and even refused to eat food for a few days.”

Stating that she was “fit as a fiddle”, Saif says Anarkali actively engaged in painting the walls of her enclosure with mud, gorging on seasonal fruits and leafy vegetables, and playing in water for hours.

His uncle Muslin says they would bathe Anarkali twice a day in summer and on alternate days during winters to ensure she wouldn’t catch a cold. “She was so fond of water that she would bathe for two-three hours at a stretch,” he says.

Late on November 8, while his family was in Uttar Pradesh on vacation and while he was playing badminton near his house, Saif heard Anarkali collapse. Generations of the Khan family have lived inside the zoo, their accommodations an earshot away from the elephant enclosure.

“I ran towards her enclosure. She was lying on the ground. I looked at her and started crying. Anarkali was crying too. I called up the zoo doctors immediately,” says Saif, adding that he made a video call to his father and uncle, who broke down as soon as they saw Anarkali’s condition.

For the next two days, the doctors and Saif stayed with Anarkali 24/7, but her health kept deteriorating. Early on November 10, Anarkali passed away.

While the zoo veterinarians say she died of old age, the post-mortem report lists cardio-respiratory failure as the cause of her death. Saif says Anarkali was buried inside her enclosure, right next to Laxmi.

Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to turn Anarkali’s abode of nearly five decades, which spans over 4,000 square metres, into an exhibit for other animals.

Sanjay Tripathi, Director, Byculla zoo, tells The Indian Express, “We already have many approved species. Since each animal has a separate set of requirements, we will see which species the existing facility caters to the best. After that, we will approach the Central Zoo Authority for approval on the new animal exhibit.”