Raju, Ramya & Veda make a delightful trio

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru: This is Karnataka's version of the famous 'Elephant Whisperers' of the Madhumalai Forests in Tamil Nadu.

The Karnataka story speaks about the bond between a couple and an orphaned baby elephant entrusted to their care. It is common for elephant calves to separate from their herds and go missing in forests. But sadly, most abandoned baby elephants die due as they miss the mother's care.

The lucky ones grow under the care of forest department staff and remain in the elephant camps forever. One such incident happened in Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Gundlupet Taluk of Chamarajanagar District.

Recently, forest staff on a daily patrol came across an abandoned female calf. She was hardly seven-daysold and looked scared after being separated from the herd. . Seeing the condition of the baby elephant, the forest staff shifted it to the elephant camp.

The baby elephant would have been killed by some wild animal if it had been left inside the deep jungle. The baby elephant was handed over to Raju-Ramya, a couple. Raju works as a kavadi (Assistant Mahout) in Ramapura Elephant Camp.

The Department decided to bear the cost of feeding the calf such as the cost of milk and supplements. The couple named the elephant 'Veda' and it soon became attached to Raju and his neighbours playing with the kids waving its little trunk.

Veda has also become very close to her 'foster mom' Ramya. One loud call is enough for Veda to rush to the small house given to the couple by the Department in the close vicinity of Ramapura Elephant Camp.

Though she has a nice family to look after her needs, one day she will have to return to the company of her tribe in Ramapura Elephant Camp. The couple do not want to even think about such a situation as it would be a 'tearful' adieu just like the one given to a daughter married off and going to her husband's home.