Jaldapara Forest Department Captures Sundar, The Elephant That Killed Its Mahout

After ten days of relentless work, foresters at Jaldapara National Park in Alipurduar succeeded in apprehending Sundar, the domesticated elephant that had killed its mahout while in musth and run away into the wild, on Tuesday.

Foresters and their pet elephants had been searching for Sundar since November 25. In an effort to find the "truant" elephant on Sunday, the department used 16 pet elephants. When they saw it, it fled before they could sedate it.

Sundar passed by a "pilkhana," or an enclosure housing pet elephants, in the Jaldapara east range on Monday night. It was recognized by the patawalas and mahouts who were present.

To ensure the elephant stayed, they notified the foresters and provided plenty of food for it. Workers in the forest monitored it.

On Tuesday, at about four in the morning, a group of foresters got ready to sedate Sundar. After a while, foresters riding eight pet elephants trailed the elephant as it began to approach Chilapata.

At approximately 6.30 am, they fired the first dart, but it was only partially successful in calming the elephant, which then began to run in the direction of Chilapata and cross the Siltorsha river that runs through the national park. Following it, the foresters were able to identify their target at approximately 9.30 am. Sundar was successfully tranquilized this time.

It was carried to the enclosure and placed in isolation under the guidance of other pet elephants. To stop it from escaping again, chains have been fastened to its legs.

"We've finally made it work. The pet elephant will be under the watchful eye of veterinarians for the next month and won't be involved in any park operations, according to Jaldapara National Park assistant wildlife warden Navojit Dey.

The forest department's male pet elephant went into the wild on November 24 after being given a bath by its assistant, the patawala, or mahout, who is usually responsible for providing the elephant with food.

The mahout and the patawala were notified when some foresters saw the elephant the following day, November 25, when it was in musth, a periodical condition in which male elephants exhibit aggression and sexual behavior.

The elephant, agitated from musth, charged the two as they got close. The patawala, Bapi Barman, was able to escape and save himself. The mahout, Deepak Karjee, was crushed to death. At that point, the elephant ran away into the wild.

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