Baby elephant in Wayanad school: Calves abandoned by mothers trigger interstate conflict

Wayanad: A baby elephant that wandered into the Government UP School, Chekadi, on Monday had swum across the Kabani River from Kerala to Karnataka in search of its mother, after being escorted by forest staff to a nearby herd.

What began as a heartwarming sight -- the calf playfully roaming inside a school compound -- soon snowballed into an interstate tussle. The calf ended up in an elephant camp in Karnataka, fuelling allegations and counter-allegations between the two states. Wildlife experts attribute the incident to a growing trend of elephant mothers abandoning their calves.

While Kerala forest officials insist this was a clear case of abandonment, their Karnataka counterparts found it hard to believe that such a tiny calf could have walked more than four kilometres and swum across a rain-swollen Kabani on its own.

Why do elephant mothers abandon calves?
Experts note that abandonment of calves has become increasingly common in recent years. Elephant mothers, like their human counterparts, may reject calves that are malnourished, physically handicapped, genetically disordered, or terminally ill.

Chief Veterinary Officer of the Kerala Forest Department, Dr Arun Zachariah, told Onmanorama that this was a textbook case of abandonment. “If the calf had not been abandoned, the herd would never have moved away when it strayed into human habitats. A mother never lets her calf wander far,” he said.

“We are seeing more and more instances of young mothers abandoning calves. Elephants can sense genetic or health issues much earlier than humans. Only after feeding, treating, and training a calf for months do we sometimes realise why it was left behind,” Dr Zachariah noted. Infections such as the herpes virus and other incurable diseases are also possible triggers.

Absence of matriarchs, rising risks
Dr Zachariah pointed out that shrinking herd structures may be worsening the problem. Many groups now lack senior matriarchs — the dominant, older females who play a key role in protecting calves. “Inferior females in the herd may not want to take risks. In situations like tiger attacks, flash floods, or other threats, they often abandon calves to save themselves,” he explained.

Viral schoolyard moment
The calf, which had wandered into Chekadi school, had delighted villagers and children by playfully exploring the premises for nearly an hour. Videos of the incident went viral across reels, news platforms, YouTube, and Facebook, winning the young elephant a wave of online affection.

Kerala vs Karnataka: the blame game
Karnataka officials, however, allege that their Kerala counterparts deliberately drove the animal across the border to escape bureaucratic complications in case the calf died.

Chethalath Range Forest Officer MK Rajeev Kumar dismissed the charge. “We never abandoned the calf in the jungle. We released it near a herd in Vettathur. The calf screamed as it moved towards them. Our staff waited. If the herd had rejected it, we would have heard cries again. But there was no such sound,” he said.

Even so, experts underline that once a calf is abandoned, herds rarely accept it back. The baby may have tried to follow its herd when it crossed the Kabani, entering the river and emerging on the Karnataka side. Forest staff later identified both entry and exit points, as well as the calf’s footprints about a kilometre downstream.

What next for the calf?
A team led by Range Officer Rajeev Kumar visited the elephant in Karnataka on Thursday. “The calf looks healthy, but there are suspicions it may be carrying a serious illness,” he said. Kerala officials say they are ready for a joint operation to reunite the calf with its herd if possible.

For now, the three-month-old is being bottle-fed goat’s milk, the only diet suitable at its age. “It is sleeping well and looks active,” officials added.

Earlier this year, another abandoned calf with injuries was found roaming human settlements in the Begur Forest Range. Despite two attempts, its herd never took it back.