Mumbai, Dec 18 (UNI) In a fresh twist to the unfolding saga of the much-tracked elephant Omkar, environmentalists and wildlife activists have urged the Maharashtra government to facilitate the animal’s return to its mother, who is believed to be moving barely 18 km away in the Western Ghats.
Activists tracking elephant movement in the region said Omkar’s mother, Gowri, along with four other elephants, was recently sighted in the Ghativde–Bambarde stretch of the Western Ghats, close to Ghotage village in Kudal taluka of Sindhudurg district.
Omkar was last seen in the same village earlier this week, raising hopes that the separated calf could be reunited with its family in the wild, wildlife activist Mandar Gawde said.
Meanwhile, the NatConnect Foundation, which has also taken up Omkar’s cause, has written to the Prime Minister as well as the Maharashtra Chief Minister urging them to instruct forest officials to work out a plan to gently drive the elephant towards its mother rather than pursue the proposed translocation to Vantara in Gujarat.
“The animal will not be able to adjust to a completely alien environment outside the forests it is familiar with,” said NatConnect Foundation director B N Kumar. Elephants are highly social animals with strong family bonds, he said, adding that separating Omkar permanently from its mother and herd could cause long-term psychological stress and behavioural problems.
The issue has reached the Kolhapur Bench of the Bombay High Court after local residents and activists opposed the forest department’s proposal to shift Omkar to the Vantara Elephant Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre in Gujarat.
During the hearing, the court advised the Maharashtra forest department to seek guidance from a Supreme Court-appointed high-powered committee (HPC), which has recommended against relocating the animal outside its natural habitat.
Justices M.S. Karnik and Ajit B. Kadethankar, hearing two petitions challenging the proposed translocation, said they found no reason to differ from the expert panel’s view. The court directed the State Government to continue the process with the HPC in accordance with law. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on December 22.
An earlier order dated November 12, 2025, recorded submissions from petitioner Rohit Kamble, who appeared in person, and an intervener. They submitted that the Constitution casts a duty on citizens to protect the environment and wildlife and to show compassion towards living creatures.
Gawde said Omkar has been shuttling between Maharashtra and Goa over the past several weeks. “Omkar has largely stayed within forested patches but has occasionally strayed into human settlements,” he said. “A couple of days ago, it entered Ghotage village and damaged cashew plantations belonging to two farmers. These incidents underline the need for a sensitive, science-based response rather than a hasty translocation.”
Activists argue that Omkar’s movement pattern suggests the elephant may be instinctively trying to reconnect with its herd. The recent sighting of Gowri and other elephants in close proximity has strengthened the case for a guided reunification effort rather than removal from the landscape.
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