Chekadi: A government primary school in this forest-fringed hamlet of Wayanad had an unusual visitor on Monday morning — a tiny elephant calf.

The village, about 14 km from Pulppalli on the Kerala–Karnataka border, is surrounded by forest on three sides and is known for its paddy fields and predominantly tribal community. The Government LP School Chekadi, which also includes pre-primary classes, has around 115 students. Spread across one acre, the campus is no stranger to elephant presence, with herds often passing by after sunset. But this was the first time a lone calf wandered into the compound, teachers said.

By noon, the calf had strolled in through a gap in the broken boundary wall, grazing on plants and trumpeting softly. “Local people alerted us even before we saw it,” said pre-primary teacher Nisha Shaju. “We quickly kept all the children inside their classrooms. Luckily, it was just after lunchtime, so it was easy to manage.”

Headmistress Sijimol TV said the bigger fear was whether the herd might follow the calf. “For almost an hour, we were anxious. But the calf was so calm, it was like a child seeking admission,” she said with a laugh.

Forest department personnel from the Chedalath Range later guided the animal back towards the jungle, just metres away from the school. “We heaved a sigh of relief only after the calf left the compound,” Sijimol added.

Officials said the animal, less than a year old, would hopefully reunite with its herd. They are monitoring the forest border to ensure a safe reunion. “If human interference increases, the herd may reject the calf. In that case, the department would have to take care of it,” forest officers said.