As a five-year-old kid I had an unusual request for a pet. Most children ask for a puppy, a kitten or a melodious bird perhaps but I wanted a baby elephant. My mother tells me that I had been watching the Discovery Channel and didn’t want to let go of the idea of having a baby elephant in our house.
So of course when I learnt of Vatsala, possibly the oldest female elephant in India and maybe even the world, I revisited my love for elephants.
These smart, social, intelligent beings have similar emotional reactions to human beings where they are protective of their herd, can throw fierce tantrums or even mourn the death of their loved ones.
Vatsala, who lives deep in the heart of Madhya Pradesh in the Panna Tiger Reserve, is like any other doting human grandmother despite not having given birth at the reserve.
The folk at the reserve believe she is the oldest living elephant in the…
