Asian Elephants: Inside India’s Last Wild Strongholds | Full Documentary

The rivers of the eastern range of the mighty Himalayas in India rejuvenate large tracts of forest on their way to the Bay of Bengal. These waters feed the grasslands or terra as they are called and life blooms all across these grasslands interspersed with shrubs and woodland. One such ecosystem is Kaziranga National Park, part of the floodplains of the mighty river Brahmaputra and one of the last bastions of the giants. It is a treasure house and hotspot of remarkable biodiversity. Noah's Ark on earth. We are now inside the park observing its stunning expanse and the diaspora of species the region holds. A herd of elephants could easily be dwarfed by the tall grass. The question is when and how can we observe our elephants in the open and from up close amongst these tall elephant grasslands and dense jungles. Later in the day word comes in that at least two elephant families have grouped together in the open. We are about to be as surprised as the elephants and gain insight into the remarkable communication and concern these large mammals share. A truly raw and wild introduction as we stumble upon them beyond a blind curve 200 meters before the area where they were last seen. Like us the elephants are caught by surprise. The senior cow in the center signals the group and they are quick to close ranks reassuring each other shaking their heads and trunks. The cow then signals a retreat with raised tails they turn toward the jungle but she decides to stand her ground. The group is waiting for more of its members to cross over. Surrounded by these three to six ton pachyderms we are reminded of their formidable size and brute strength capable of trashing our jeeps within seconds. It is humbling just to witness the concern they have for each other and between groups. Just then mothers and aunts go into an impregnable legion-like formation protecting their calves in between their giant legs. The remaining members rejoin the group from behind the trees. Then almost immediately the elephants settle into an activity they spend 14 to 18 hours a day on feeding. To consume about 150 kilos of food every day they pull down branches and vines and eat vegetation from trees and shrubs. This stimulates the forest as more sunlight reaches younger vegetation. Where so much food goes in it's bound to come out in plentiful dung heaps made up of large amounts of undigested food. Dung from herbivores enriches the forest floor with many species finding nourishment from them. The long-ranging elephants play a vital role in dispersal of seeds through their dung. The table manners of a multi-course meal are tossed aside as they litter the forest with broken branches and scattered vegetation. Depending on their population and availability of food elephants are capable of defining the way a forest may look over a period of time. The young tusker bulls so far behind the bushes come out to investigate. One of them asserts himself and a gentle roar from the jeep engine keeps the peace. The retreating monsoons and the river Brahmaputra refresh and leave behind these water bodies called Beels. These brim with life. Northeastern India falls at the junction of important flyaways and supports large avian populations. These aquatic ecosystems have great environmental significance being breeding grounds and nurseries for birds, fish and mammals. It is a time of plenty but the professor-like greater adjutant stork chases after an otter for fish as if admonishing a naughty student. Spot-billed pelicans preen themselves in the morning light so that their feathers are waterproofed well. The flock swim together and dip their head at once into the water herding the fish into their pouched bellies. They primarily feed in water and will not compete for food with the large flocks of bar-headed geese that have arrived from as far as Mongolia and China. Bar-headed geese are iconic high flyers and have flown over the lofty Himalayas at times covering up to a thousand kilometers a day to winter at this green carpet landscape. Every ounce of energy spent on the flight is rewarded and reserves built up quickly. Even this bar council has a pecking order. Where there are iconic flyers there are also perfectly adapted prolific swimmers. Smooth-coated otters leave the water and family time takes over with the pups frolicking around. Leaving the pups for a moment they mark their territory by excreting on it and then it is back to the family. Rolling on the sand helps them maintain their coats and deposits As the pups are lost in play the adults head out to fish and it is not a good idea for the pups to be left behind. In a flash the adults are back to nudge laggards into the act. Even fishing champions need a team. They quickly bite into the fish away from sharp eyes. Eagles can steal fish but the gray-headed fishing eagle has its own set of deadly hunting tools. Is that its mate calling? With a clean beak it heads off to its love interest. The day begins to fade over the jungle and its inhabitants. The elephants have begun to move across this large beal, the swamp deer looking on. A flock of pelicans flies by overhead spooking the elephants. With close to only 50,000 of these endangered giants left in the wild about one in four Asian elephants lives in captivity. Elephants have high levels of awareness, exhibit emotions and sensitivity and humans tamed these remarkable animals over 4,000 years back. Asian elephants are unique in their relationships with humans. But in keeping with the arduous history that humans themselves went through during the same period Asian elephants were exploited as beasts of burden, were trained in war, stomping into the battlefield. Today captive elephants are also part of forest departments in India. Indian jungles are dense with an untamed terrain. Elephants make it easier for the forest guards to go off track and into deeper forests especially through the rainy season when most of the roots become inaccessible. This captive young bull in another northeastern Indian forest camp throws bark for us to catch. In Assam a state which Kaziranga is part of the upkeep of captive elephants is considered much better than many other parts of the country with captive elephants here even interacting with wild elephants and producing offspring. This elephant has just returned from a jungle patrol. Their caretakers are called mahouts and they can develop deep bonds with the elephants looking after all their needs. Asian elephants have one finger like projection at the tip of their trunk the strength and precision of which is apparent as she meticulously pulls her chain gathering it in a heap. She refreshes herself with water and then she has other plans embarrassing her earnest and bashful mahout. But there's no time to waste as there is news that she will be on duty near the range office a promotion of sorts. Her younger mate comes to inquire what the preparation is all about. The mahout having prepared her they set off towards their new assignment. Left behind this young female gets restless and demands some comforting from us. Elephants today are also used for tourism and carry people across the forest and urban landscape. Being revered they still remain part of stables many made to march at religious festivals. Stricter regulation would be needed for the care of these remaining captive elephants especially outside forest areas. But though Asian elephants have been domesticated for many millennia only in recent decades dedicated research has been done on wild Asian elephant behavior. Asian elephants in the wild are not easily observed their natural habitat being dense sensing the presence of people they are inclined to move away and towards vegetation. These cows with calves are busy feeding in the late afternoon. So much feeding in the brush eventually takes a toll on their teeth. But nature has given them a solution and unlike humans and most other mammals elephants can grow six sets of grinding teeth through their lifetime. Hearing footsteps one of them peeks out. The forest guards on patrol are passing by. They signal seeing a tusker on the trail of these cows. The tusker appears in the thicket across where the females were feeding. Not knowing what to make of our presence he retreats back into the forest. We move ahead to give him a wide berth but lest we think otherwise he once again asserts his stature in jungle hierarchy. His curiosity then covered behind the act of feeding. Another reminder of our ranking in his kingdom and then he seems to have a mission to accomplish and keeping his gaze on us begins to move across to the other side in the direction the ladies went using his great sense of smell to remain on their trail. Elephants and other wildlife are doing well here but have been plain lucky to have survived because of efforts made to save another large prehistoric looking mammal the one-horned indian rhinoceros or indian rhino the king of these grasslands. One is immediately struck by his thick armor-like body and single horn. The skin has a wart-like appearance forming huge folds around the neck and rump. They feed during the cooler hours. Its single horn though made of tightly packed hair-like protein is unfortunately the chink in its armor. Rhinos fall to poachers guns as their horns are in demand in eastern medicine. A claim experts believe is unfounded and no more beneficial than chewing one's own nails. Many rhinos defecate at the same spot. These dung heaps serving as their communication posts but these are also a giveaway of the rhinos movements. The indian rhino is more aquatic than other rhino species and thrives in these wetlands. They spend large parts of their day wallowing in the Beals and then it's back to feeding. Too busy even to let the jungle mayas pick off parasites. Hanging out in water also lets the rhino take some of its colossal weight off its legs. Its ears like dish radars constantly swiveling around scanning the action around the forest. Calves begin to eat vegetation but may continue to suckle into their second year but life wasn't as certain. The indian rhino was almost driven to extinction in the early 20th century when fewer than a hundred remained. With conservation efforts, Kaziranga National Park now has more than 2,000 rhinos. Even then so threatened that their total world population is less than the number of people out to sea on a luxury cruise ship. And what if these were the last remaining humans on the planet? That's vulnerability. That said, many of them are now once again living all the way till their twilight years. An achievement helped by the zealous efforts of the forest department and its guards. With 430 square kilometers of forest to patrol and roughly one guard to a square kilometer of dense forest, life is pretty tough. There is imminent danger to their lives from both poachers and animals and many guards have lost their lives passionately protecting the park. The park has a zero tolerance policy as far as poachers are concerned. Though poaching incidents especially of rhinos do occur and are of serious concern. The forest department's large tusker Kartik appears from the forest. For some time now Kartik has been tolerating only the presence of his single mahout. These days the department doesn't involve Kartik in regular duty and he's looked after at this camp. The chain restricting him and alerting his mahout as he wanders off into the forest following his instincts. Much of elephant instincts are honed as they grow up within a family unit consisting of cows and their calves and an experienced cow is the matriarch of the group. She's the backbone of the family providing stability, identifying friends and foe and leading them to the best feeding grounds. The others follow with eager calves in front with little trunks having minds of their own. Two or more family groups do come together at times. The phenomenal long distance communication skills of elephants and their instincts make them extraordinary animals. Different groups are able to maintain social contact with each other using an arsenal of sounds including low frequency rumbles. These sounds travel considerable distances serving as exceptional signaling systems reaching another group at a faraway riverbank. Research suggests that they use their trunks and feet to hear these rumbles. Their thickly cushioned feet also muffle the sound of anything they step on allowing them to move surprisingly silently. These giants actually tiptoe as their feet are designed in such a way that they walk with only their toes touching the ground. Compared to the African species, Asian elephants have evolved smaller ears which could be in keeping with the denser forests they live in. The large surface area of the ears with a good network of blood vessels and constant flapping keep their massive bodies cool. Highly affectionate touch and smell are also used to connect greeting each other by inserting the tip of their trunk in the other's mouth. More evidently covered with hair, younger calves get very busy discovering the jungle and also places where they can scratch their back. Like humans, elephant offspring require many years of nurturing. Cows of the family jointly bring up calves. The strong hierarchy in the group allows calves to learn essential life lessons. As calves grow, they begin to develop locomotive skills including using their trunks which with time and practice will develop into the formable organs they are. Despite injury to its trunk, this calf seems to be getting by but an injured trunk can only make life tougher. Meanwhile, the youngest member of the group at the banks of the river Diflu is hungry and begins to It will do so till it is two to four years old and like our calf here may even go across to one of its ants to suckle just for comfort or even feed if a lactating ant allows it. Along with milk, mother and ant have also begun introducing it to vegetation. It is time for a nap on the green quilt sheltered by mum's shadow. The sun once again on its back. It gets some groggy headed, joining mama as she takes in the treats laid out on the riverbanks. The river Diflu snakes its way through the park. Water has played a key role in the explosion of life on the planet. As seen at the Beals, one of the best places that embodies this and amongst the last bastions of many species is Kaziranga. The endangered Assam-roofed turtles agree with a wink. Turtles are cold-blooded and soak in the sun to get warm. Together with others like the Indian-roofed turtles, they stretch their webbed feet. The webbing being an adaptation shared by aquatic animals including birds like the Indian darter or snake bird and used to propel through the water. Protected forests across the world and their rivers are important catchment areas for rainwater, recharging groundwater and feeding larger rivers and lakes. The forests prevent the soil from being eroded and silting our rivers, eventually being washed away to the oceans. Along with other life forms, human survival itself depends on fresh water and soil. Going forward, this will be one of the primary reasons why forests would need even more protection and degraded areas restored to native vegetation. Like many other species, most of the wild population of a wild water buffalo is found in this Eden. Led by a female, the ranking in the clan establishes order. This cow is in the mood to challenge exactly that. She picks up some dry foliage on her horns, urinates and kicks up dirt. But the approaching cow with larger horns is not impressed and shows it. Then at the same spot, she adds poop to the insult, asserting her dominance. Swallowing her pride, the retreating cow is left with only a crown of dead leaves. But a nursing cow close by will not let her guard down. She has sensed something. The tall grasses have hidden dangers. Buffalos are amongst the top prey animals favored by tigers. But these large herbivores are capable of goring even tigers to death. Ask the forest guards and they will tell you. It is the wild water buffalo they dread the most. Its aggression matched by its heavy horned weaponry that can get as wide as a car. The day gets hotter and as their name suggests, these wild water buffalo fit perfectly into the wetland frame, wallowing and rolling in the swamps. Like other cattle species, they bring back food from their stomach for a second round of chewing, a process called rumination. And this is the perfect time of the day to ruminate. Habitat pressure and hybridization with their domestic cousins that fringe these forests now threatens the species. Some buffalo continue to feed on the tall grass, while the rest of the clan safely relax it out in the open verdant meadows. From dense forests through marsh and towards grasslands, the elephants march on, this little calf even clearing the way. This little one will have to be determined and fit into these giant steps as it is destined to grow up and adapt in an era throwing perhaps the greatest challenge for the survival of its kind. They stop to assess their route and send a youngster back in line. An increasingly fragmented and degraded habitat and disruption of migratory stretches of elephants forces them to cross paths with people as a large portion of the world's exploding human population lives close to these forests, rapidly converting huge tracks of ancient elephant jungles into crop plantations and human use. For now, they feed on the buffet set out for them by nature, delicately picking off the succulent green stalks from the drying grass. Needing a home range upwards of 300 square kilometers, these giants are not easily restricted to protected areas. It is getting dark and they go down an old path to the next source of food. Around the same time, anticipating elephant raids, the air around villages fringing many elephant forests gets tense. A village gives a first-hand feel of this grim reality. The easygoing atmosphere here and the quiet demeanor of its people are in stark contrast to the events that unfold at night. We talked to the villagers. The elephants came in from this side. They dislodged the plant by kicking this way and four rounds were fired by the forest department. The elephants have left their signature all across the fields. They even come towards the houses and have broken huts like this, picking up harvested crops from inside and then sniffing out other huts and the crops in them. The forest department arrives on most days, but it is really very difficult to drive the elephants away. They come actually almost every night. The sun seems to be setting quickly as nights come early in the season. Two bull elephants have entered the fields going towards the railway tracks and the elephant squad drives them into the safety of the jungle. The elephant squad rushes as reports come in that elephants are moving towards the villages to raid crops. The elephants were crossing the road for the village. Recognizing the approaching vehicles, the elephants turn back into the jungle. The villagers try to control the situation till the elephant squad arrives. The guards recognize individual elephants and the elephants are familiar with the voices of the guards. Amidst their life-threatening job, the guards understand the plight of the elephants, just trying to get food from lands they originally roamed. Humor is not lost as they emphatically call out to the matriarch. The elephants seem to have gotten used to the routine and give the guards some respect and retreat. The elephants keep breaching the park boundaries like ghosts forcing the squad to move from village to village. The casualties reduced to a great extent due to the relentless efforts of the squad. For a 21st century observer, it can only be imagined what the elephants, villagers and guards go through each night. One forging for food, the second for livelihood and the third fulfilling their commitment and all having to accept this as a way of life. After a grinding night spent pushing the elephants into the forest, mornings as always bring promise and we head through the wooded forests to look for our other giants. A pristine stream greets us at the woodland's edge. The orange haze of dawn awakening the jungle. We scout the grasses in the woods and as the sun climbs higher, the mahout sees a gray shadow behind some bushes and is onto it. The rhino is wounded, could be a result of a conflict. Indian rhinos use their incisors to inflict wounds. Another rhino in the tall grasses shows how the same set of teeth is used to cut at grass stems. They use their prehensile lips like grasping tools to pull at the grass. This rhino's dinosaur-like face bears the scars of jungle life. They have very good hearing and a sense of smell but poor eyesight. Moving in our direction, it feeds on the short grass and like elephants will need to eat a lot to maintain its two-ton frame. But its size can be deceptive. This giant can run at speeds up to 25 miles per hour, outrunning the fastest humans. The wind direction changes. It can now smell us but decides to dash off into the undergrowth. If a rhino mother with her calf was chanced upon this close, it could be a different outcome and she could charge, not tolerating any invasion of their personal space. Even this tiger knows mama rhino's reputation and steers clear. What about this tiger? These remarkable cats are known to kill adult rhinos, but still these battle tanks are formidable adversaries. The cat kills curiosity instead. This younger calf is much more vulnerable. Rhino mothers take great pride in their calf and will single-handedly protect. The grass is always greener at mother's side. Over the next two, three years, she will teach it everything it needs to know to survive alone in the jungle. Except for mothers and calves, Indian rhinos are mostly solitary, but do come together at water bodies or during courtship, which are noisy, aggressive affairs involving some biting as one chases the other through the forest. As rhinos dispense energy on mating, around the same time of the year, many trees conserve energy by shedding their leaves. Devoid of their green chlorophyll, the leaves begin to fall. The forest uses up everything and the sheet of dry leaves will decompose and let out nutrients. The silk cotton trees too have lost their leaves. They will now expend their energy in their attractive blooms. Standing out from between the tall grasses, silk cotton trees are quick to establish themselves. Their bright flowers around the departure of winter become a welcome source of nourishment for many species. While a jungle miner flits in and out, red jungle fowl make the best of the nutrition. Then, the flowers fall and the ground becomes a red cake shop. The deer quickly gorge on them. They have a reason to be hasty and alert, and the signs are everywhere. Pug marks, claw marks on trees, and a deer kill. The handiwork of a supreme hunter, an eagle tiger. This emerald rhino elephant habitat holds another distinction. Experts believe Kaziranga has the highest density of wild tigers in the world. In many declared Indian tiger reserves, where this magnificent big cat is the focus of conservation, their numbers had actually floundered. But back at Kaziranga, stringent protection of rhino habitat has unwittingly allowed tigers and their prey to thrive. The many hues of green host an abundance of prey species, which then support large densities of these carnivores. Tigers are truly elusive and blend in perfectly in the tall grass and equally in the dense jungles, as witnessed while coming across a rather restless elephant sniffing the air suspiciously. Suddenly turns to face the thicket. The reason for its displeasure unraveled. A tiger. The orange flames immediately melt into the jungle. Every tiger sighting is magical and shines bright as a beacon of hope for Indian jungles. With a color spectrum similar to the The great Indian hornbill with his crown is the spectacular prince of the canopy. There is love in the trees and the male goes after the female, displaying his version of soul-shaking love. And then a symphony of beaks follows. The princess has whitish blue eyes and the male red with black coloring in the front of his crown. Even royalty needs preparation. And the male practices passing on fruits to the female, as later she will seal herself in the nest and the food he brings from far will be too precious to drop. These large birds help scatter seeds across the forest, but hornbills will not disperse all seeds. Other ingenious ways of dispersal have emerged as evolution keeps giving a helping hand. A college pheasant is off with one. The elephant apple tree is also fruiting, but they will entice the giants of the forest to pick up their treats. A young elephant male has found respite for its odd spots. These young males of a family have formed a peer group. At the age of puberty, while their sisters will continue staying with the family, these guys will be pushed out to roam the jungles and spread their lineage. Such lofty thoughts for later, our boys are busy doing musty, the Indian word for fun. Musty may be for now, but as these boys grow into full-grown bulls, they will begin to experience must, which is a periodic condition of a mature bull elephant when he is highly aggressive with huge hormonal surges. As seen in this one tusked male, must is characterized by a sticky secretion from glands at the side of his head pouring down his cheek. If you see such a bull, stay far as you wouldn't want his attention, which is reserved for a different purpose. This supercharged state gives males in must an extra edge in showing dominance and increasing their chances to garner mating rights over females. But where have this big male's tusks gone? Isn't it only the female Asian elephants that lack visible tusks, having small ones called tushas? Bull Asian elephants can have large tusks. These are also used as tools for digging soil or scraping the bark off trees. The bark is then eaten at leisure. Through the ages, elephants with larger tusks were taken captive or then killed to fuel the ivory trade. Even well into the 21st century, the demand for ivory is killing off elephant species across the world at an unprecedented rate, with no sign of the killing even slowing down. Tragic and catastrophic for these human-like species. Researchers believe this could also be leading to remaining elephants passing on such genes of smaller or non-existent tusks to the next generation. These large tuskless Asian bulls are locally called maknas and can be formidable, displaying sheer power and strength. This dominant makna, with younger tusker companions, fringes a family group. He makes sure the tuskers know that he is boss. Elephant bulls falling to the bullet across their range, combined with a fragmented habitat, lacking migratory stretches, can pose a serious genetic threat to the species. As the temperature soars, green begins turning brown. The grasses are beginning to dry up. Fire quickly engulfs the dry grass as they are burnt by the forest department to restrict the growth of trees. Birds like Indian rollers and drongos wait as the flames throw up a feast of fleeing insects. These riverine grasslands hold larger densities of wild animals, but wooded forests tend to eventually replace these existing grasslands. Most of the wildlife here depends on these grasslands and to provide them with an optimum habitat. It is the policy of the forest department to burn these riverine forests in a controlled manner so as not to allow trees to come up fast. For some time, the burnt hues sing an eerie solemn note, devoid of life. Then, the animals return quickly, the burnt grass also eaten, and all doesn't end in smoke as new shoots rise up and are quickly lapped up by the herbivores. Once again, kick-starting the celebration of life called Kaziranga. The grass will once again earn their stripes. The familiar shrieks of parakeets ring across the smoldering landscape. The male rose-ringed parakeet hops across to preen his mate's feather as she prepares the nest. The near-threatened red-breasted parakeets, meanwhile, are prepared to bring in their precious next generation. It is peak traffic hours at weaver ant nests. These little insects, along with insects like bees, play the giant role of recyclers and pollinators. Giant honeybees set forth foraging for nectar amidst the canopy. They are amongst the world's largest honeybees. They then settle on the wet mud to soak in water and nutrients in the company of dwarf honeybees that are amongst the world's smallest. The summer heat persists, despite the clouds dancing across the sky. There is no better way to cool off than a quick spray and elephants carry their own shower equipment. Elephants just love water and can be surprisingly buoyant for their size, their trunks now becoming snorkels. Water is central to their lives and they drink close to 150 liters of water a day. The trunk, like a giant straw, is used to suck up to two gallons of water at a time, which is then squirted into their mouths. This guy sprays the overactive glands on the sides of his head and also sprays water under his belly. Then he's off, spraying through the bank with a rhino wondering what the fuss is all about. To its other side, the rhino has further company as more elephants arrive at the water's edge. They throw water and wet mud on their bodies. These watering holes serve as conditioning spas for all the giants of the forest. The mud protects their skin from parasites in the baking sun. The drying mud also cooling their large bodies. The elephants leave the watering hole with mud packs. Refreshed, it is back to feeding, which involves standing long hours, so it helps to take the weight off one hind leg, then the other. These cane plants with thorns left some pretty bad scratches on her skin, but the elephants chomp on them, along with the jungle's bounty. These are amongst the last few forests remaining in the world, where the Asian elephants and many other wild species hang on to survival. In the race to exploit the planet, we have overlooked equal living rights of other species that have taken millions of years to evolve, many of them at the edge or then lost forever. In these times of species extinction and climate crisis, we are the only species that can make a difference to the preservation of our natural world. Most importantly, leading to preservation of our future generations. Will each of us extend a helping hand and preserve natural habitats, as our fragile planet may have already crossed the tipping point of no return? And whether elephants and myriad species, including humans, roam the earth will be the ultimate test of true human intelligence and leadership, so that these babies can grow peacefully and roam the forest with the same grandeur their stately ancestors did. May wisdom prevail, or then the symphony of life may collapse and the drums may go silent.