It is easy to earn an elephant’s affection. If you put in some effort, like the late veterinarian Dr V Krishnamurthy did, they would go out of their way to express their love. P R Mani, who worked with Dr K, as he is popularly known, for 26 years, remembers: “The moment he stepped out of his car and into the camp, all the elephants would raise their trunks in greeting.” Mani adds: “He would walk from one elephant to another, addressing them by their name like he’s talking to a child.” Dr Krishnamurthy’s namesake, the elephant Murthy at Theppakadu Elephant Camp in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, passed away on October 14. As people mourn the death of one of the gentlest elephants at the camp, Murthy also reminds us of the efforts of the men who play a crucial role in an elephant’s life.
Dr Krishnamurthy was a towering figure in elephant management and care in Tamil Nadu. “He laid the foundation for all the methods that are being followed today,” says 69-year-old Mani, who was Forest Livestock Inspector when Murthy was captured. Mani remembers talking to the vet minutes before he shot the tranquiliser dart into the left shoulder of Murthy, who was a crop-raider that people in Kerala and Tamil Nadu feared, known to have killed 23 people.
