Representational Image. PTI
The cheetahs at Kuno-Palpur National Park are slowly feeling at home. They are getting their share of rest, being fed buffalo meat from time to time, and being observed round-the-clock. However, the responsibility of protecting them is not given to any security personnel; authorities are not even relying on technology. Two elephants, Lakshmi and Siddhanth, are doubling up to guard the big cats.
The two elephants from Madhya Pradesh’s Satpura Tiger Reserve have been now moved to Kuno to ensure the eight Namibian cheetahs are safe.
Let’s take a closer look at who these elephants are and how they help in animal protection.
Meet Lakshmi and Siddhanth
Thirty-year-old Siddhanth is a certified rescue operator who played an important role in rescuing some tigers in 2021, according to Kuno’s Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Prakash Kumar Verma. However, as per a report by Mint, Siddhanth has a bit of a temper problem. He had killed two mahouts – a person who works with elephants – in the year 2010.
Meanwhile, the 25-year-old Lakshmi is known to possess a very calm nature and is an expert in her work. She has mastered the skill of jungle safari, rescue operation and jungle patrol.
According to a report by India Today, both the jumbos have played a pivotal role in driving away four out of five leopards that were spotted inside the special enclosure made for the cheetahs before their arrival.
Lakshmi and Siddhanth now patrol the cheetah enclosure throughout the day with security teams of the national park. Now no other animal comes close to the cheetahs.
Keeping leopards at bay
Before the jumbos were brought in for the task, forest officials had set up foot traps, cages, and deployed a staff of 100-150 rangers and labourers to catch the leopards, but to no avail, according to a report by DownToEarth.
The safety of the eight cheetahs will be ensured by two elephants, Lakshmi and Siddhanth. PTI
The reason why authorities thought it would be a good idea to bring in the jumbos to help is that it becomes easier to spot animals while mounted on an elephant as it offers a wider view, said DFO Prakash Verma. “They (rangers) are carrying tranquilising guns to immediately dart the leopards and shift them to Madhav National Park (MNP) in Shivpuri,” he added.
Elephants can reach where vehicles can’t. Safari cars and other vehicles get stuck in mud owing to the nature of the terrain and incessant rainfall that makes the remotest areas of the park inaccessible.
The DFO said, “We do not have this limitation with elephants. The vets can go even in the muddiest and thickest areas of Kuno National Park on elephants, which is why the tuskers were brought in from Satpura.”
Kuno National Park and Madhav National Park are approximately 100 km away from each other and officials hope that once the leopards, that are currently posing a threat to the cheetahs, are transported to Madhav National Park, they will not be able to make their way back to Kuno.
Jumbos to the rescue
However, this is not the first instance where elephants have come to the rescue. In January 2021, a tiger entered a forest village in the Harda district of Madhya Pradesh, reports Mongabay. Over the course of three days, there were reports of people being attacked by tigers, leaving one person dead. To prevent further loss of life, elephants were brought in to help the department in the crisis.
Also read: Will African cheetahs prosper in India?
In 2019, Karnataka was ranked the best in training elephants to use them in rescue operations, according to a report by The New Indian Express. The elephant rescue operations of the state provided a benchmark to states like Uttar Pradesh, which sent trained elephants along with staffers and mahouts to track other elephants from the wild who had entered the city area.
Not stopping at animals, elephants have also been used to rescue humans in distress. In 2017, as per a National Geographic report, a couple of Asian elephants were used to rescue people who were trapped underwater during floods in Nepal.
With inputs from agencies
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