After mom’s rejection, jumbo calf taken to Theppakkadu camp

COIMBATORE: A wild elephant calf that could not be reunited with its mother was brought to the elephant camp at Theppakkadu in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in Nilgiris district on Sunday morning.

Coimbatore forest division officials decided to send it here from the Maruthamalai forest after their attempts to make it join a herd of elephants also failed in the last week.

The male baby elephant was loaded on to a vehicle of the forest department at 3.45 am at the Maruthamalai foothill. The animal reached Theppakkadu at 9.50 am.

Coimbatore forest veterinary officer A Sukumar, Madukkarai forest range officer P Arunkumar and a few others travelled along with the elephant. The team provided one litre of lactogen to the animal at 7 am and it consumed another one litre after reaching the camp.

“The animal is just four to five months old and is currently weighing 150 kilogrammes as per the age. Its health is fine. A dedicated team will take care of the animal separately without allowing it to mingle with other calf elephants so that it doesn’t contract communicable diseases. Based on the direction of Assistant Veterinary Surgeon K Rajesh Kumar, vitamin drops and liquid to improve digestion along with lactogen will be provided to the animal,” said sources.

Since May 30 morning two veterinarians— Sukumar and Rajeshkumar—was providing treatment to the mother elephant after it fell sideways in the foothills of Maruthamalai.

On June 1 morning, the calf elephant left the mother and returned along with his sibling the same night. After four days of care, the forest department released the mother elephant on June 3.

N Jayaraja, District Forest Officer, Coimbatore said “We tried to reunite the calf with the mother eight times and another four times with another herd. Both herds refused to accept the calf.”

A total of 30 elephants, including 27 adults and three calves, counting the latest joinee, are now at the Theppakkadu camp.