Baby elephant rescued in Palakkad dies before reuniting with mother, herd

Palakkad, Kerala: A 12-day-old wild elephant calf, found stranded without its mother, died on Sunday morning while under treatment at the Dhoni elephant camp. The calf had been rescued from a rocky crevice at Mele Abbanur in Attappady and was under care at the Elephant Satellite Camp in Dhoni.

The calf was rescued with the assistance of the Puthur Rapid Response Team after it became trapped in a rock fissure and separated from its herd. It was initially kept in a temporary enclosure in the Abbanur forest under Forest Department protection for five days, but the mother elephant did not return.

During this period, the calf was fed lactogen-mixed milk and tender coconut water. It was later shifted to the Dhoni elephant camp on April 18 for continued care and monitoring.

Treatment and deterioration

At the camp, the calf was cared for by mahout Bomman and his wife Sindhu, with treatment administered under veterinary supervision. Despite efforts, its condition worsened.

S.F.O. Shashibhushan said necropsy (post-mortem) findings indicated cardiac-related issues . The calf had also been suffering from diarrhoea since Saturday. Intense heat further aggravated its condition, he said.

Post-mortem and burial

The calf died at around 11 am on Sunday. Procedures were carried out under the supervision of a technical committee, and a post-mortem was conducted at the Wildlife Health Centre.

The body was buried at around 7 pm. The process was overseen by Palakkad DFO Ravikumar Meena, Research Unit DFO M.K. Sameer, Olavakkode Forest Ranger K.R. Krishnadas, Assistant Veterinary Forensic Surgeon Dr David Abraham, Natural History Society Palakkad office-bearer Adv. Lijo Panangadan, biologist Aneesh Chandrankutty, and Puduppariyaram panchayat member P.S. Sajitha.