Gomti is no ordinary elephant. Ask any forest official of Corbett Tiger Reserve Park (CTRP) in Uttarakhand, and they will tell you stories about her extraordinary bravery and dedicated service to this famous park. Her legacy of forest patrolling, daring rescues, and a life-saving act of bravery against a tiger stand as a testament to her extraordinary service.
On 4 October, Gomti retired from active duty. Many forest officials became emotional as they bid a grand farewell to the 66-year-old matriarch who devoted 47 years of her life to Corbett. After retirement, she will now guide and nurture the next generation of camp elephants in CTRP.
In a heart-touching farewell ceremony at CTRP, organised by senior officers and staff at the Aamdanda Gate, Gomti was facilitated.
Indian Masterminds interacted with 2004-batch IFS officer and Field Director of Corbett Tiger Reserve, Dr. Dheeraj Pandey, to know more about this incredible elephant.
CITATION & MEDALS
Gomti has seen many generations changing. She has worked in every way in the forest, ranging from old to modern methods of patrolling and conservation. She joined the CTRP in 1976 at the age of 19. She had arrived from Assam.
Her retirement ceremony was full of deep emotions and gratitude for her dedicated service.
She was awarded a citation and medals. She has had three mahouts – Subedar Ali and Nisar Ali (both retired), and Farrukh Khan. They were also facilitated along with her with a medal and citation on her behalf.
Gomti was garlanded and fed her favourite snack of bananas. The presence of so many people and their showering of love seemed to affect her as tears welled up in her eyes.
Gomti’s citation and medals will be kept at the range office. Her incredible dedication and courage have left an indelible mark on the conservation efforts in the entire region.
Post retirement, she will stay in Dhikala forest in Corbett. Her mahout will also stay with her. Her diet will be taken full care of and she will be served by her mahout.
Dr. Dheeraj Pandey said, “The guideline of Project Elephant is that elephants above 65 years of age should be retired from active duty. But, it does not mean that they will not work. It means that they will do only normal routine work, not any heavy duty, as for elephants, walking is necessary. So they will do only simple work and give training to new elephants sometimes.”
Active duty includes tasks like forest patrolling, lifting heavy loads, traveling long distances, etc.
SAVED LIFE
In 1983, a mahout named Subedar Singh used to ride on Gomti in CTRP for patrolling. One day, during the course of patrolling, he got down from Gomti for closer inspection of something that had caught his eye when a tiger suddenly attacked him. Gomti immediately confronted the tiger and saved the life of Subedar Singh. This bravery of Gomti has been etched forever in the history of Corbett. She also participated in many rescue operations.
Her retirement marks the end of an era, but her legacy will live on forever. Now, she will embark on a new journey, a life after retirement, and will play the role of a mentor. She will be guiding and nurturing the next generation of camp elephants in CTRP.
OTHER NOTABLE WORKS
The other notable works of Gomti are the successful rescuing of a tiger in 1987 in the Bagjhala area near Garjia Temple. She also participated in the elimination operation of a man-eater tiger in 2010 in Sundarkhal village. In 2012, she played a vital role in rescuing a wild elephant in Rishikesh and in 2019, she was instrumental in capturing and rescuing a man-eater tiger from Dhikala. These are just a few operations she took part in. There are so many others to recount.
Mr. Pandey said, “Gomti had an important role in tracking man-eater tigers. She also tracked tigers for translocation from Corbett to Rajaji Tiger Reserve.”
HER LINEAGE
Although Gomti is 66 years old and has dedicated 47 years of service to CTRP, she never had her own babies.
Mr. Pandey said, “As far as I know, there is no lineage of Gomti till now. But, she has gifted us her incredible legacy. I thank Gomti for being the epitome of dedication and courage.”
