The story behind the man who carried an elephant, Palanichamy Sarathkumar, is currently working as a forest guard and is stationed near Mettupalayam. Mettupalayam is a small forested city 32 miles (50 km) from the beautiful hill station Ooty. Despite the creature’s cute appearance, it was heavier than guard Palanichamy Sarathkumar, weighing in at more than 100kg.
On December 12, 2017, and Palanichamy, the man carrying an elephant, was returning home from a night shift at his headquarters when he received a call about a small in.cident near the Vanabhadra Kaliamman temple. The caller informed him that a female elephant went rogue and was blocking the road close to the Vanabhadra Kaliamman temple. He went there as soon as he could with his colleagues.
They set off a few fire.crac.kers to guide the elephant back into the forest. After the females left, they continue to look for other elephants nearby.
They saw a baby elephant stuck inside a small ditch. The little elephant was confused and tired when the ditch made him feel suf.focated. Palanichamy and his colleagues pulled a rock out of a ditch because it was blocking the elephant’s exit.
Mr. Sarathkumar realized that the female elephant near the road was its mother and was very up.set when she was nowhere to be found. The calf was too weak to walk, so the task became doubly difficult for the forest guard. After removing the rock, Palanichamy and his 3 friends carried the baby out. They wanted to carry it to the other side so that the mother could find her child.
They had to think about it for a while when they realized that the mother elephant is very protective and can at.tack if it was th.rea.tened. It was then, that Palanichamy decided to become the person carrying an elephant on his back, by himself. He chose to ris.k his own life instead of ris.king four. Despite the creature’s cute appearance, it was heavier than guard Palanichamy Sarathkumar, weighing in at more than 100kg.
He placed the baby near a waterhole and hoped that the mother would return and locate her child.
They waited for hours but the mother did not come. They all went back after a while and hoped that the mother will come back.
They all returned, the next morning, and found the calf missing. The calf left its mark next to the larger pugmarks of a bigger elephant. Palanichamy believes they left before dawn after being reunited.
Groups of elephants, or herds, follow a matriarchal structure with the eldest female in charge. Herds are composed of primarily female family members and young calves, according to the San Diego Zoo, and include 6 to 20 members depending on the food supply. When the family gets too large, herds often split into smaller groups that stay within the same area.
The matriarch relies on her experience and memory to recall where the best spots for food, water are, and where to find protection from the elements. The matriarch is also responsible for teaching the younger members of her family how to socialize with other elephants.
