COIMBATORE: An elephant calf that was abandoned by its herd late last month was taken to the Wildlife Transit and Treatment Centre at Pethikuttai on Saturday morning.
The calf is now housed in a separate enclosure at the shelter.
According to Sirumugai Forest Range Officer K Manoj, "We tried to reunite the calf with five different herds of elephants. Each herd had mother elephants along with calves.
After identifying the herds through drone surveillance and direct sighting by the staff, we made repeated efforts to reunite the calf. However, the calf was rejected after it spent a few hours with each herd."
"As we did not spot any other herds apart from these five, we decided to shift the animal to the centre at Pethikuttai," Manoj said.
"We are providing one litre of Lactogen every two hours along with adequate water. Veterinarians are also closely monitoring the calf's health," he added.
The official also said a decision is yet to be taken on shifting the calf to either the Kozhikamuthi Elephant Camp or the Theppakkadu Elephant Camp, where experienced mahouts and tribal caretakers can provide specialised care and help the calf integrate with other elephants.
The three-month-old calf was found roaming alone after it got separated from its herd at Lingapuram near Sirumugai on April 25.