Alipurduar, June 1: Six elephant calves that were rescued from various places and raised in Jaldapara would be permanently shifted to a national park in Uttar Pradesh for forest patrol. The animals will be relocated to Dudhwa National Park by the end of this month. Of the six calves, aged between two to five years, one is male. “Six young elephants that were rescued from different places and grew up in Jaldapara will be sent to Dudhwa National Park to perform kunki duties. The animals will take three to four years to become proper kunkis and go for patrolling. The calves would be sent to Dudhwa by June end,” said Rajendra Jakhar, the divisional forest officer, wildlife III. In January, officials from Dudhwa National Park had requested the chief wildlife warden of the state to give them six adult kunkis (pet elephants) to facilitate patrolling in the forest. Chief wildlife warden Shitangshu Bikas Mondol had told the officials that six kunkis from Jaldapara would be relocated to Uttar Pradesh. Although foresters from Dudhwa had asked for six trained kunkis, officials at the national park in Jalpaiguri district raised objection saying patrolling in Jaldapara would suffer if six adult elephants were shifted. Jaldapara National Park, spread over 216sqkm, has 60-odd kunkis of whom 30 are on forest duty now. Five of the six elephant calves that will be shifted to Dudhwa National Park undergo training in Jaldapara. File picture The officials from Dudhwa were then asked to shift some of the rescued calves that were raised at Malangi beat of Jaldapara and train them for departmental duties. In April, a team consisting of foresters and vets from Dudhwa selected Balasundar, Rohini, Titi, Teesta, Urmi and Saili to be shifted. Forest sources said the calves would be trained in Uttar Pradesh for at least three to four years before assigning them departmental duties. “Our staff members have done a lot for the rescued calves and they are very upset that the animals would go away. But the officials from Dudhwa National Park were satisfied with the condition of the young elephants and have decided to take the animals with them,” Jakhar said. The last time pet elephants were permanently shifted from Jaldapara was in 2007 when six female kunkis were relocated to Dudhwa for patrolling. Foresters said kunki Champakali had played the role of a foster mother to all the six rescued calves. Rabi Biswakarma, Champakali’s mahout, said: “I never thought that these calves would leave, particularly Balasundar (brought to the park at the age of 10 days) and Titi (came to the park when it was one month old). Foresters and vets here had thought that the animals would die as they were really young and needed mother’s milk to survive. Champakali took care of the calves and brought them back to health. I am very sad. The calves were like my own children. I will feel bad when they are gone.” Foresters said Balasundar was rescued from the banks of the Balasun river in 2007 and Rohini was found in Rohini tea garden in 2008. While Titi was rescued from the Torsha river in 2009, Teesta was rescued from the Teesta river the same year. Urmi was found in 2010 from Charabari village near Bagdogra and Saili was rescued from Saili tea garden in 2008. In 2006, two pet elephants from Jaldapara were relocated to a zoo in Japan.