Kodanad forest team rescues day-old baby elephant during routine check, hopes for recovery

A barely two-day-old baby elephant abandoned by its herd in the forest at Kaprikad has been rescued and is being taken care of at the rehabilitation centre, Kodanad. The female calf, severely weak and dehydrated, was unable to stand on her own till a day ago. Forest watchers and mahouts take turns feeding the calf tender coconut water.

The calf is now on fluid therapy, and once her hydration status improves, she will be given milk, the forest officials said. Before the calf was brought to the rehabilitation centre, a team of forest watchers led by Delto L. Marokey, Assistant Conservator of Forests (Nature Study Centre, Kalady), kept a close watch over the calf, braving heavy showers in the forest. They had set out on a routine mission on Friday to drive away a herd of elephants which had crossed the river and were on their way to enter human habitation.

The mission was underway when the watchers noticed signs of delivery by the river. "We spotted a placenta near the river, and later we saw a mother elephant trying to lift the calf by the trunk. The calf was too weak to grab the trunk. We kept watching them from a distance, hoping that the herd would return to the forest with the baby. When we came the next day, the herd was gone and the baby elephant was found in a culvert near a pumping station," said Delto.

The team waited for some time for the herd to come back. The calf was stuck in the culvert, and she was barely able to move around. When they saw that the calf's condition was getting worse, the watchers managed to pull her out of the culvert. One of the watchers tore his mundu to help the calf lie on the ground. They fed the calf tender coconut water and set up a temporary shelter to care for it. During frequent intervals, the calf was given glucose. "We monitored the condition of the calf closely. The weather was getting bad, and we felt that it was safer to shift the calf to the centre," said Delto.

The condition of the calf has improved slightly, according to the officials. She has begun to balance on her own whenever she makes sounds, the mahouts on duty would give her fluids. "It's too early to say something. Our focus is on rehydrating the calf, and then we can start giving milk," said Dr Binoy, the forest vet.