In what is described as a ‘Dasara gift’ ahead of the famous festivities in Mysuru, Lakshmi, a 21-year-old Dasara elephant, gave birth to a male calf in the palace premises on September 13 night. The mother and the baby have been separated from the Dasara jumbo camp. Veterinarians are monitoring their health.
“The mother Lakshmi and the newborn calf are healthy and doing well,” according to a forest official.
It is perhaps for the first time in recent years that a female Dasara elephant has delivered a calf in the palace premises while on a training for the ‘Jamboo Savari’. Normally, pregnant jumbos are not selected for Dasara tasks.