A newborn Indian gaur calf that got separated from its herd in Coonoor was reunited with the help of forest range staff on Saturday.
S.M. Sasikumar, Forest Range Officer (Coonoor range), said they believed the calf to be only a few days old, and that it had got separated from the rest of the herd while trying to cross a busy road. “We received information about the calf being stranded away from the rest of the herd and rushed to the spot,” said Mr. Sasikumar. Forest Department staff Ravichandran, forester, Logesh Vikram, forest guard, Logeshwaran, anti-poaching watcher, Palanisamy and Kalidass, Rapid Response Team members, tracked the herd to a nearby tea estate.
They carried the animal to the estate and released it in a spot close to the herd. An adult female, which officials believe is the calf’s mother, accepted the animal and took it back, said Mr. Sasikumar. He added that the animal was separated from its mother for around an hour, and that forest staff fed it with milk to prevent it from becoming too weak to recover. “We are tracking the herd, and expect the calf to make a full recovery from the ordeal,” said Mr. Sasikumar.
