Forest  officials  here  recently
rescued a three-month-old orphaned elephant and are bringing  her
up in a zoological park.

The  baby elephant was brought to the Nandankanan zoo  in  Orissa
capital  Bhubaneswar after her mother died of anthrax in a  local
forest. Forest officials tried to save the baby elephant's mother
but could not revive her.

Named    "Tara"  by the zoo authorities, the  playful   pachyderm
joins  the  20 member elephant family, all of whom   were  either
abandoned,  strayed  into villages or had their mothers  shot  or
poisoned by ivory smugglers.

Fully   recovered,   she  has  stopped pining  for   her   mother 
and  responds  to   all the love and affection  showered  by  the
mahout.

"I have to take lot of pain in nurturing this kind of animal.
They are animals but need more care and affection to survive.
They  are just like  a human child. I am taking care of her  like
her  mother  would have. I have to take more care  like  a  woman
nourishes her child. While feeding her one has to be very  caring
and  loving," said Prabodh Kumar, the mahout.  Tara meanwhile  is
the zoo's biggest star  with hundreds pouring in everyday to  see
her play and being fed.(ANI)