Muthumala (Wayanad):  What will mothers do when babies cry in their sleep?  Surely they will hug them tightly and put them back to sleep. The same is being done by the mahouts at the Theppakadu Elephant Camp in Muthumala here. They are the loving mothers for two orphan elephant calves in the camp. Both the babies are getting warm hugs from them wherever they are just like their mothers would have done.

One of the calves was found in Sathyamangalam forest area near the carcass of its mother that died of sickness. It is just four months old now. The other one, a five-month-old, was spotted under similar circumstances at Periyanayakan Palayam in Coimbatore. It is after a long time that the camp is having two calves at the same time.  

The mahouts at the camp are taking care of the duo exactly how the mothers would care for their children, said Muthumala Tiger Reserve deputy director C Divya. 

“Bringing up elephant calves is definitely not childs play. It is quite challenging. The calves are not yet recovered from the trauma of losing their mothers at such a tender age. So resolving the issue was our first aim,” she said.

Two mahouts each will be there for each calf both during day time and night. As they are motherless, both cry during their sleep. The mahouts who sleep with them will then hold them close and put them back to sleep, in a heart touching manner. 

According to them, the duo are very naughty. They would escape from their wooden cage ‘Aanakoodu’ whenever they got a chance. It is quite difficult to herd them back to the cage, they say. 

They are lodged inside a specially arranged fencing. They will be let out only after a year. Under the doctors’ supervision, both are fed powdered milk. There are clear instructions on how much they should walk and how much they must rest daily.

The elephant camp at Muthumala was opened back in 1910 by the Britshers. There are at total of 27 elephants, including kumki jumbos, at the camp presently.