Rahul Gandhi writes to Karnataka CM seeking treatment for injured elephant calf

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday wrote to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai seeking his intervention for providing timely treatment to a "severely injured" elephant calf at the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve.

Published on: Oct 6, 2022, 07:43:47 IST

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday wrote to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai seeking his intervention for providing timely treatment to a "severely injured" elephant calf at the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve. He said he came across the injured calf during his visit to the Reserve, along with his mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi is in Karnataka for the Congress party's mass commute programme, the Bharat Jodo Yatra. (ANI)

"The Congress President and I briefly visited Nagarhole Tiger Reserve where we happened to come across the painful sight of an injured baby elephant, with its mother. The little calf has a severely injured tail and trunk, and is fighting for its life," Rahul Gandhi said in a letter to Bommai.

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Noting that he understands and appreciates that there is a view that nature must be allowed to take its own course, he said, "However, in the case of endangered and iconic species, exceptions are often made depending on the severity of the situation. The aforementioned calf is undoubtedly in need of urgent medical care."

"Therefore, I wanted to cross political boundaries and appeal to your sense of compassion to intervene and save the little elephant. I am confident that it will survive if given proper treatment. I hope you will extend timely assistance to save the iconic little elephant," he added in the letter.

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Rahul Gandhi has even tweeted the picture of the calf with its mother. "A mother’s love. I felt so sad to see this beautiful elephant with her injured little baby fighting for its life," his tweet read.

Nagarahole, spread over Mysuru and Kodagu is covering an area of 847.981 Sq km. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, who are in the state for the party's ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, which is currently on a two-day break for Ayudha Puja and Vijayadashami (Tuesday and Wednesday), are camping at a private resort in Kabini backwaters at H D Kote taluk in the Mysuru district.

They will be participating in the march on Thursday morning when it resumes at Bellale in Pandavapura Taluk in Mandya District.

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Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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