NILGIRIS: Days after a baby elephant was rejected by its mother, the jumbo was taken to an ‘elephant feeding camp’ at the Mudumalai National Park in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, on Sunday.
In the camp, the officials of the forest department Dr Rajesh and Dr Sukumar examined the health of the baby elephant. Upon monitoring, it seemed healthy and weighed around 150 kilograms. It was then fed lactose milk.
Reportedly, the elephant calf was separated from its mother in the Marudamalai forest area, near Thondamuthur in the Coimbatore district.
The incident occurred on May 30, when the ailing mother elephant was found lying on the ground with a distressed three-month-old male calf next to her. The rest of the herd were present in nearby forests.
Acting promptly, a team of forest officials lifted the mother with the help of a crane and took her for three days long treatment. After her health improved, she was released into the forest.
After this incident, the team found that the elephant calf was stranded in the forest area and took him to the foothills of Marudamalai, in an attempt to find his mother and reunite them.
The officials of the forest department spotted the mother and attempted to lead the calf towards his mother but she rejected the calf and ran away.
Speaking with ANI, the forest veterinarian Dr. Sukumar said, “On May 30, we received information about an ailing female elephant lying down in the Madumalai forest range in Coimbatore, with the baby standing next to her.”
“Forest department staff rushed to the spot to provide treatment to the mother elephant on May 31 and lifted her with the help of a crane. The baby which couldn’t receive the milk, moved inside the forest,” Dr Sukumar said.
He further said, “After she returned to the forest, the forest department officials tried to reunite the calf with its mother but all efforts failed. So, as per the advice of the Chief Wildlife Conservator of the forest, the calf was sent to Mudumalai Elephant Camp where the baby elephant will be taken care of by the Mudumalai Forest department.”
This is the third baby elephant that got separated from his mother. Such incidents of calves getting separated from their mother have significantly increased in the area.
Two baby elephants separated from their mother in Sathyamangalam and Dharmapuri are already being cared for at Mudumalai Elephant Camp. (ANI)
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