A wild male elephant spotted a captive female elephant and fell in love. <br /><br />It left the forest and camped near the female elephant at a village near Bihpuria in North-Eastern India on April 25. <br /><br />Alarmed by the intruder, Bhabha Bora, the owner of the female elephant informed forest officials, who decided to monitor the animal. <br /><br />He also tried to move his female animal away, which proved to be difficult, as the bull kept a close watch on the enclosure where the female was kept. <br /><br />Local villagers say the male suitor thwarted a few attempts to move the female away. He would charge at anyone who tried to bring her out. <br /><br />On April 29, the male attacked a tractor, which was carrying banana stems, the favourite food of the female elephant. <br /><br />It toppled the trailer and rammed the vehicle prompting the driver to flee for his life. <br /><br />“We don’t know why the bull, which had never attacked anyone, picked on the tractor. It had seen the tractor regularly approaching the female and perhaps was wary about it,” said a local villager. <br /><br />Alarmed forest officials brought in a team of vets to tranquilise the elephant. But the vets noticed that the elephant was not in good health and decided against tranquilising it. Officials are now keeping a close watch on the animal hoping that it would return to the forest on its own after its hormonal surge or ‘musth’ subsides. <br /><br />Forest Beat Officer, Gopi Chetry, said: “The attack on the tractor was an aberration as the elephant is not violent. It has been spotted passing through villages without hurting anyone.” <br /><br />“It was probably a captive elephant, which escaped, and is used to human presence. We will gently drive it back to the forest,” he added.
