LUCKNOW: In love and war, all is fair—even for elephants. Gajraj, a trained elephant from Dudhwa National Park, freed himself from his iron shackles and ventured deep into the thick woods on a romantic escapade, accompanied by six of his female companions. This led to a massive fortnight-long hunt involving forest teams and drones.The elephants were eventually rescued by forest officials and returned to their camp on Thursday.Dudhwa is home to approximately 25 camp elephants used for patrolling, tourism, and conflict management. The incident occurred on the eve of Independence Day. The elephants had been stationed in the Rhino Rehabilitation Area within the Sonaripur range, a lush 27 sq km expanse with Sal and Damar trees, nine permanent lakes, and vast grasslands stretching for miles in all directions, reminiscent of Kaziranga National Park in Assam.Gajraj entered a state of musth, characterised by heightened aggression and increased hormonal activity. Breaking free from his chains, Gajraj headed into the forest, followed by six female elephants—Suheli, Chameli, Kaveri, Kiran, Pawankali, and Sulochna—who disappeared into the 25-square-kilometre Rhino area.This area is inhabited by one-horned rhinos, with about 46 rhinos residing in Dudhwa, according to the last census. Gajraj was brought to the National Park from Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bengal in 2008 to patrol the range and monitor the rhinos.Gajraj was less than ten years old when he was brought to Dudhwa as a toddler. Alongside him in the enclosure were other female elephants, including Kamalkali, Suheli, Kiran, Kaveri, Sulochana, and Chameli. The latter two were childhood friends of Gajraj, having been brought from Jaldapara along with him.As news of the disappearance of Gajraj and his companions spread, the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve officials were thrown into a frenzy. Numerous teams of forest workers and mahouts were deployed, fanning out across the forest with drone cameras to locate the elephants.Additionally, a team from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) arrived in Dudhwa to assist in the search and trapping efforts. The Dudhwa Tiger Reserve spans 2,201 sq km, and elephants can cover considerable distances while foraging for food. As the park shares a border with Nepal, there was a significant concern that the elephants might cross into the neighbouring Himalayan state.
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