Written by, April 27 -- Mubina Akhtar

The elephant could barely move, but as I went near, I felt the profound intensity of its direct gaze and instantly sensed a deep connection. I could see both pain and trust in its eyes. It was overwhelming-as if it were communicating its distress. For the first time, I experienced the emotional intelligence of an elephant, a moment that will stay with me forever. I started calling it "Numal" in my mind.

"The elephant strayed out of the adjacent Karbi Anglong forests and crossed over to the Numaligarh Tea Estate. Locals from the tea garden informed us about the solitary elephant roaming in Sector 27 of the estate. Our forest staff found that the elephant was sick and kept it under constant observatio...