Elephant calf found weak and alone in Erode’s Sathyamangalam forest

An elephant calf, aged between two and three years that had been united with an adult female elephant after the death of its mother, was found weak and wandering alone in the Sathyamangalam forest in Erode district. The Forest Department said it was monitoring the calf’s movements.

An elephant calf, aged between two and three years that had been united with an adult female elephant after the death of its mother, was found weak and wandering alone in the Sathyamangalam forest in Erode district. The Forest Department said it was monitoring the calf’s movements.

On April 11, a female wild elephant, aged between 45 and 50 years, was found sick at Pudukuiyanur village in Vadavalli, Sathyamangalam, along with its calf, and veterinarians provided treatment to both. But the adult elephant died the next day. The calf was subsequently united with a foster mother elephant, and officials continued to monitor its movement using drones. Initially, the calf was found with the herd, near the Bannari – Dhimbam stretch of the Dindigul – Bengaluru National Highway 209. But, in the past one month, the calf had been seen alone, frequently moving near the highway.

K. Rajkumar, Conservator of Forests and Field Director, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), told The Hindu that the calf got separated from the herd and was on its own. “It started to feed on its own and visits the waterhole near the highway for water frequently,” he said. The calf was found to be weak, he said, but there was no need for an intervention as yet as it would survive on its own. The Department staff would continue to monitor its movement, he said.