Pachyderm was separated from its herd: officials

CHENNAI: A two-month-old male elephant calf, found abandoned in the Erode forests, was brought to the Arignar Anna Zoological Park at Vandalur on Thursday.
On Monday, the calf was spotted by villagers near Jartha lake in the Chennampatti forest range. Forest officials tried to reunite the calf with a herd but failed. The officials, who were unable to trace the mother, decided to shift it to Vandalur as the calf was weak and needed care.
After a long road journey, the calf was sent to the veterinary clinic in the zoo. “Whenever a rescued animal comes, we conduct a general examination as the animal has been in the wild and could be carrying some infection,” zoo director K S S V P Reddy said.
Zoo officials said the calf was healthy. “We gave it some tender coconut water and arranged for a cot with hay and left it along with other rescued calves,” said an official. He said dehydration was common among young elephants, especially those rescued from the wild. Feeding them is a challenge because they feel lonely and refuse food, he added. The new arrival will be looked after by mahout Arumugam and his family who also take care of all other abandoned jumbo calves.
The zoo now has six abandoned elephant calves, officials said.
In December 2010, a four-month-old elephant calf was brought from Uvapalayam near Mettupalayam. In January 2010, 18-month-old Narasimhan came from Coimbatore forest division and the same month, 16-month-old Urigam arrived from Hosur.
Most rescued animals in the state, especially elephant calves, are brought here in spite of a November 2009 Central Zoo Authority directive against having elephants in zoos. The reason, say officials, is because of the state-of-the-art facilities at the zoo and round-the-clock medical attention.