The Forest Department staff of Hassan rescued a four-day-old elephant calf, separated from its mother in Sakleshpur, and shifted it to the elephant camp at Sakrebail in Shivamogga. The calf had fractures on its forelimbs and it could not stand.
The calf was found near Malali in Sakleshpur taluk. For the first two days after it was born, the mother was around and nobody could reach the calf. The local people and the Forest Department staff noticed the calf struggling to stand. They could reach near the calf only on Saturday, when the mother moved a few metres away.
Sivaram Babu, Deputy Conservator of Forests, told The Hindu, “The calf had no milk from the mother since its birth, as it could not stand. The staff took care of the calf and fed lactose. Muruli, the veterinarian, provided the calf with saline and glucose. Later we took the calf for scanning at the Veterinary College in Hassan. The report showed fractures on its forelimbs.”
“It would be taken care of in the elephant camp. After it recovers, we can think of whether to leave it back into the wild or keep it in the camp,” the officer said.
