A baby elephant that was separated from its mother and the rest of its herd at a zoo in southern India has now been reunited with them, writes The Guardian.
In an aerial photo, you can see how the calf and the mother are taking a nap where the baby elephant has crawled up in their arms.
Desperately searched for his mother
The baby, who is four to five months old, went missing from his pack in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve on December 29 last year when game wardens saw him desperately searching for his mother.
Usually a herd doesn’t move on when a calf goes missing, but in this case the mother and the herd had gone four kilometers away.
– For the most part, the herd moves on, but a smaller group stays behind to locate the missing calf. But sometimes the herd moves away for safety, especially if it is an area where there is conflict between animals and people. The matriarch must choose between the welfare of the herd and the welfare of the calf, says Kartick Satyanarayan, CEO of the non-profit organization Wildlife SOS, to The Guardian.
Found after a day
The baby elephant was found a day after he was separated from his family. Drones were then used to locate the rest of the herd. Before the calf was reunited with its mother, it was smeared in clay to remove human odors.
– This means that the mother and aunts will welcome the calf back and it reduces their concern about any human footprints, says Kartick Satyanarayan.