A new-born elephant calf in Kerala’s Vazhachal forests arrived in the world with its own Z-plus security. A photograph published in this paper shows how 20 wild elephants flanked the calf, holding up traffic on the road for six hours. Forest staff provided additional cover. The media-shy calf has since disappeared into the forest, probably to get on with the business of growing up. It is a reassuring image, and one that is increasingly rare.
The Vazhachal region is a pocket of rainforest near the Anamalai hills, surrounded by the Parambikulam tiger reserve and other protected areas. The rush of a waterfall and the beating of hornbill wings break the silence of these lush expanses. Elephant traces line the forest roads and visitors speak of encounters with large herds where vehicles are forced to turn back and nervous bikers dart out of the way. Traffic on the roads is restricted and pachyderms roam freely across a large, contiguous area of forest. This is elephant country. Anywhere else, the new-born calf’s story might have had a different, tragic ending.
