It’s a girl! Dasara Elephant Netravati gives birth to calf

Team Udayavani, Oct 24, 2023, 8:27 AM IST

Shimoga: A 28-year-old elephant named Netravati, who was trained to participate in the Shimoga Dasara procession, gave birth to a baby girl on October 22 night.

This event posed a challenge as the festival typically involves three elephants to carry the revered silver Ambari, and deciding which elephants should accompany Ambari carrying Sagar became a point of confusion.

Kunti had recently given birth, and Bhanumati was heavily pregnant, leaving only Netravati and Hemavati available to accompany the procession elephant.

To prepare for their roles, these elephants underwent a 15-day training program at the Sakrebailu Elephant Camp. They were subsequently brought to Shimoga city three days ago, where they received additional training along the parade route in both morning and evening sessions.

Surprisingly, Netravati gave birth to her baby around 10 pm on Sunday, raising criticism for bringing a pregnant elephant into the procession.

Interestingly, the staff at the Sakrebailu Elephant Camp expressed their astonishment as Netravati had shown no signs of pregnancy, and a pregnancy test conducted last month had yielded a negative result. This incident bears resemblance to a similar occurrence during the Mysueu Dasara festival last year.