BENGALURU: When you get the tag ‘rowdy’ as a prefix and you are a grand pachyderm no less, trouble is expected to brew in captivity. But Ranga continues to pleasantly surprise his handlers. As on Thursday evening, the pachyderm was seen following the commands of two mahouts, Diwakar and Krishna, who were stopping him from attacking the thick eucalyptus logs that form his kraal (enclosure).
Both Diwakar and Krishna have come from Nagarhole National Park and are taking care of Ranga along with other mahouts at the Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP), where Ranga is being kept.
“He is quite mischievous. When he first came and we were attempting to approach him for feeding or cleaning, he would be quiet until we came close and then would suddenly make a move toward us. He was also constantly attempting to get out of the kraal by climbing over the thick logs. Now he has calmed down a lot,” Diwakar said.
As the mahouts are talking, Ranga, who has been standing still all the while, suddenly puts a foot forward and everyone, who are at least 15 feet away, take a step back!
Needless to say, both Krishna and Diwakar have not had much sleep from Sunday when Ranga was brought to BBP. The mahouts heaved a sigh of relief after Ranga finally managed to rest a little on Wednesday night under the influence of the camp elephant Arjuna.
But suddenly, the agile elephant decided to shake things up at 2.30 am and tried to make his way out. “He was a little scared of Arjuna and his presence made Ranga restless. Then he calmed down,” says Manikanta, another helper who has been constantly watching the elephant.
Ranga was tranquilised and then brought into the enclosure with the help of six elephants belonging to Bannerghatta National Park (BNP). Officials were surprised to see that the elephant bore no injury marks.
Ever since his captivity on Sunday, Ranga has been restless and makes the other elephants at the park look puny in comparison. He has made quite a few attempts to get out of his kraal, which is at least 15 feet tall, and this has kept everyone watching him on the tenterhooks.
Dr Kshama, one of the veterinary doctors who is keeping a constant eye on him, says that he suddenly places both his feet on the eucalyptus logs and tries to break out. He has also suffered a small injury on his trunk while attempting to break a thick log and has managed to considerably chip the log. But all that has stopped after the BNP officials arranged to have Dasara elephant Arjuna brought here from Dubare camp.
Arjuna is in musth and has managed to bring Ranga under control ever since he arrived on Wednesday morning. Ranga’s compliance has made his caretakers think about releasing him out of the kraal in about a fortnight’s time.
The 12x16 feet kraal allows him to move around a little. On Thursday morning, his handlers were presently surprised to see him obey a few commands and they have successfully kept him from attacking the logs.
The elephant, which weighs close to seven tons, is enjoying a diet of paddy, paddy husk and jaggery. An elephant on an average eats about 350 kg of food and Ranga, while roaming the wild, is said to have lived on a royal diet of bananas and ragi among other food, which is said to have contributed to his chubby appearance.
Mahouts pour water on Ranga at regular intervals to prevent him from getting bothered by the heat. He is not being administered any medicines at present and officials have sent his urine and stool samples for testing.
When asked about his future, BNP Deputy Conservator of Forests Javed Mumtaz says that nothing has been decided as of now.
“He is safest with us. If we release him into the wild again, he might come into conflict with the villagers and that will pose a problem again. He is such a majestic and elegant animal. In about two or three days, he will be alright and will obey commands,” he says.