COIMBATORE: Coimbatore forest division personnel have been taking efforts to reunite a calf with the mother elephant near Maruthamalai foothills since Wednesday morning. Following information from locals that the calf was alone at a areca nut grove at Kuppepalayam, a team of forest staff visited the grove and tied it with a rope and guided the animal to a safer place in the grove.
Based on instruction from a veterinarian, the staff provided lactogen and water. Sources said there were no injuries on the body of the animal and it was healthy.
On Monday morning, the mother elephant was released inside the forest following four day long treatment. Till evening, officials took steps to reunite the mother with the calf and succeeded on Monday night. However the mother went inside the forest.
“We suspect the herd with which the calf was moving rejected it. We hope the elephant will join the herd on Wednesday night,” said a forest department official involved in the operation. Meanwhile a two-week-old calf was killed by wild dogs at Sigur forest range on Tuesday afternoon.