A mother elephant and her calf have been freed from Aurangabad zoo where they were kept in an enclosure of inadequate size in violation of norms and have set off on a journey to the Vishakapatnam zoo in Andhra Pradesh en route Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary.

The 52-year-old elephant Saraswati and her female calf, Laxmi were put in separate trucks for their 1,200 km journey from Aurangabad to Vishakapatnam,  on Sunday morning by a team of six officials from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana along with the local zoo staff.

The Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court had recently initiated suo motu PIL for the release of elephants when they became aware of the blatant violation of Central Zoo Authority (CZA) rules in the local zoo where the elephants were confined in insufficient space.

The relocation operation is headed by M Navin Kumkar, retired deputy director of Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad. He said that there won’t be any transportation issues as both elephants are in good health. The fresh air coupled with regular feed will ensure a pleasant journey for both, he added.

It will take three days for the elephants to reach Vishakapatnam zoo.