Panna's grand 'Dadi' who endured everything but time
BHOPAL: She never mated, yet raised generations of calves. She survived brutal attacks, lived through blindness, and stood as a matriarch in the forests of Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh for over three decades.
But when Vatsala died this week, the gentle elephant did so just short of global recognition - because of one missing document.
On Tuesday, Vatsala collapsed into a pit near Hinauta Elephant Camp and could not rise. Her body finally gave way. Forest officials said she was more than 100 years old - a contender for Guinness Book of World Records - but could not secure the title. "Without official records from her early life or veterinary documentation from the time of her capture, we couldn't meet the strict criteria set by Guinness.
We were so close," said a senior officer.
Vatsala was brought from Kerala to MP's Narmadapuram in 1971, already around 50. She understood only Malayalam then, silent before the Hindi- and Gondi-speaking mahouts of MP. But she eventually bonded with Maniram Gond, the mahout assigned to her in 1994, when both were transferred to Panna.
"When I first called her, she didn't even blink," said Maniram. "We were strangers - two beings from different worlds."
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But over 30 years together, they formed a bond beyond language. "She began to understand my tone, my touch. Even without words, we figured each other out."
Known across the reserve for her calm temperament, Vatsala allowed schoolchildren to play beneath her belly. "She was like a grandmother," said Maniram. Though she never bore calves, she mothered many. Called 'Dadi' by staff, she nurtured young elephants, guiding and protecting them while keeping a deliberate distance from males.
That refusal triggered one of the darkest moments in her life. In 2003 and again in 2008, a male named Rambhahdur attacked her when she resisted his mating attempts. "He tore her stomach open. Her intestines were out. It took nine months to treat her," Maniram said. Vatsala never retaliated.
By 2004, her eyesight had deteriorated completely. She was retired from patrol duty and placed under Maniram's full-time care. "Even fully blind, she'd raise her trunk when I called her name," he said.
Officials had sent tusk samples to labs to verify her age through scientific analysis. "There's no forensic system available to determine exact age," said APCCF (Wildlife) L Krishnamurthy, "but she would be remembered forever."
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