MYSURU: It’s rare for someone to lose sight of a 5,400kg creature they are supposed to be watching. But that is what happened at the Balle camp when howdah elephant Arjuna disappeared on Tuesday, causing panic. It was found nearly a day later and caretakers put the escapade down to a natural need – the 58-year-old might have wandered off to find a mate.Usually, elephants are let loose around the camp in Nagarahole forest after they are fed. They roam around and return to the camp before dusk. On Tuesday, Arjuna ventured out and didn’t turn up in the evening. Caretakers panicked as it grew dark and there was no sign of the animal. They searched Arjuna’s regular hangouts but it was nowhere to be found.They resumed the search on Wednesday and found the elephant in Antharasanthe, some 15km from the camp. It was hale and hearty; not a scratch on its body. The chain tied to its leg was intact and the chain marks helped the caretakers trace the elephant. It was the first time that the tusker had travelled so far from the camp.Tuskers often leave the camps when they are in “masth”, a veterinarian explained. “The animal goes in search of a companion and later returns. Arjuna may have been in masth and had gone beyond the boundary in search of a cow elephant as the camp run by the Karnataka forest department doesn’t have a female,” the vet said.Some years ago, Balarama, then the howdah elephant, had gone missing ahead of the Dasara celebrations. He was later found with a herd of cow elephants.What worried the caretakers was that Arjuna had ventured too far from the camp this time. Luckily, they say, he did not encounter any danger on his journey – from animals or villages nearby. Two decades ago, Drona, the howdah elephant, had died of electrocution in Nagarahole forest.

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