A record, and an elephantine hunt from MP to Kerala

The officials at the Panna tiger reserve feel that at nearly 90 years of age, Valsala may be the oldest living elephant in the world. “But we need confirmation from the place of her birth before we apply to The Guinness Book of World Records,” says Panna Director Krishnamoorthy. He has written to Nilambur District Forest Officer Sreedharan Nair seeking information on two points. One, the exact year in which the elephant was caught by the Forest Department. Two, her age at the time of capture.

“The elephant must have been more than 50 when she arrived in Madhya Pradesh in 1973. But we do not have proof,” he says.

But the request has put Nilambur forest officials in a spot. For, Valsala’s records can’t be found —- they are either lost or may have been eaten by termites. DFO Nair says they have stumbled upon a few clues, and are trying to chase them down. “First we thought it was a hopeless case,” he says. “Now there is hope. We have received information about people who had treated the elephant. We have also heard that a person who used to bathe Valsala is alive.”

But even if they do find the people, Nair admits it will be tough getting information out of them. “Most of them are near or above 90 years of age and have poor memory. We are asking for events that had taken place 40 or 50 years ago,” points out Abdul Salam, a retired range officer given the task of hunting down those even indirectly connected to Valsala.

Salam has managed to trace two mahouts who were close friends of the man who used to be Valsala’s mahout and who died years ago. “They say they have known Valsala from the time she was captured,” Salam says.

However, the problem is that their versions do not match. “One says she was 30 when caught. The other insists it was 34,” Salam chuckles. “There is a mismatch in the year of capture too. One says it was 1950 and the other, 1954.”

Salam has also identified the officer who was the Nilambur DFO when Valsala was caught. “His name is Adiyodi. He is 93-years-old and lives in Thalassery. I am also told that the elephant was named after his daughter. I hope he knows something, But I haven’t been able to contact him,” Salam says.

Meanwhile, as the official hunt goes on, Valsala is happy baby-sitting a newborn calf back in Panna. “She is grandmother to a calf born to another female in the group. In the elephant family, it is the oldest female who has to look after the kids,” Krishnamoorthy notes.