COIMBATORE: Despite trying for three days, forest department personnel are not able to unite an elephant calf with its mother in Coimbatore. On Friday morning, staff from the department took the calf into the Attukkal forest in Maruthamalai where the 40-year-old mother elephant was released after it recovered from an illness following four days of continuous treatment. But the mother rejected the calf.
The four-month-old calf separated from the mother while it was unwell. It wandered in the forest before camping on a farm land in Pachavayal village near Viraliyur for the last two days. Based on information given by locals, forest department personnel rescued the calf and have been trying to unite it with the mother.
A team of four department staff and two mahouts from Top Slip elephant camp trained the calf elephant to make sounds all day on Thursday and Friday. It yielded result as the mother came near the calf after hearing the noises on Friday. But she did not accept it and went back inside the forest.
Sources said efforts are under way to make the calf join a herd of elephants that include two calves at Yanaimaduvu near Thaliyur in Thadagam forest. If that attempt also fails, the calf would be taken to the Top Slip elephant camp, sources added.
Speaking to TNIE, N Jayaraj, DFO, Coimbatore, said, “We have been trying our level best to reunite the calf with its mother for the last three days. The mother is roaming in the same forest area near Maruthamalai. After the treatment, her condition is better. Our priority is, uniting the calf with the mother. Also, permission is yet to be given for taking the calf to ATR camp.”
The forest department has been trying for the last two days to reunite the four-year-old baby elephant near Marudhamalai in Coimbatore.
Three-month-old elephant calf leaves ailing mother, moves into forest with sibling in TN
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