17th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Gardener of the Forest

My search for him ended up beside a beautiful swamp near a corner of the tea estate. As the sun went down the horizon, he slowly emerged from the thick foliage towards the open swamp. He seldom noticed my presence while feeding as I stood still amongst the tea bushes. Although i have been following him regularly for the last six years in and around this forest, I have never seen him in such a beautiful garden. A garden all set by nature herself! As the dry terrain gave way for greenery after a few summer showers, along with the rain came in the gardener. A gardener who redesigns his garden to make this a better place to live for him as well as others.The elephant is also known as the "gardener of forest". He eats fruits from one place and disperses their seeds in far away places covered and protected by his dung, thus making him a perfect gardener.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 04.2018
Date Uploaded: 11.2019
Photo Location: Palakkad, India
Camera: NIKON D800E
Copyright: © Aneesh Sankarankutty