Assam: First female elephant mahout Parbati Baruah receives Padma Shri

GUWAHATI: Parbati Baruah, from Dhubri district of Assam, the first ever female mahout, has received the prestigious Padma Shri.

67-year-old Parbati Baruah overcome entrenched gender stereotypes and dedicated four decades in mitigating human-elephant conflicts.

Parbati, since early childhood, acquired the skills from her father and went on to play a crucial role in capturing and taming wild elephants.

Her commitment to applying scientific practices assisted at least three state governments in addressing the human-elephant conflict.

Her determination and significant contributions have earned her the prestigious Padma Shri in the category of Social Work (Animal Welfare).