Forest Officers in Alipurduar on Mission to Reunite Truant Elephant with Herd

The task for the foresters of Jaldapara National Park in Alipurduar is to apprehend the pet elephant that murdered its mahout last week and ran away into the jungle.

After taking a bath on November 24, Sundar, a male state forest department pet elephant in musth—a disease that sometimes affects male elephants and is characterized by increased hostility and sexual behavior—escaped into the wild. When foresters discovered it on November 25, they notified Bapi Barman, the patawala (fodder arranger), and Deepak Karjee, the mahout. The elephant attacked Bapi, who was able to flee, then raced at Deepak, stomping him to death, as soon as the two arrived at the location and attempted to approach it. And it rushed into the wilderness.

The elephant is still thought to be in musth, and foresters have been attempting to find it, tranquilize it, and return it to the pet elephant enclosure ever since.

A group of foresters set off on a mission to find Sundar on Sunday, accompanied by sixteen companion elephants. In pursuit of the "truant" elephant, they ventured into the central regions of the national park, which is home to the greatest number of one-horned rhinos in Bengal.

At 12.30 pm, after the search began at 6 am, they found Sundar close to Kunjanagar in the park.

But according to a forest officer, it left before it could be put under sedation.

Sundar was seen on Saturday 4km from Kunjanagar in Bengdaki.

"The elephant is obviously out and about. To bring it back, we need to create fresh strategies, according to Jaldapara Park's assistant wildlife warden Navojit Dey.