ERODE: A 40-year-old female elephant that fell unconscious near Bannari inside Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) on Sunday died on Tuesday morning despite intensive treatment. Forest department united her two-month-old calf with another herd on Monday night as the mother showed no signs of recovery.
On March 3, locals spotted the elephant lying unconscious, with two of her calves including a sub-adult male elephant and a two-month-old female calf. Veterinarians found the mother too weak to move and separated the calves from her. While the sub adult elephant instantaneously mingled with a herd that had arrived at the spot after hearing the cries of the calves, the two-month-old calf kept circling its mother. To facilitate treatment and keep it out of harm’s way, forest personnel placed the baby elephant inside a 5-foot deep pit and provided it food and water. On Tuesday around 11.30 am, the mother elephant died. The carcass was left in the open for other animals to feed upon, sources added.
Supriya Sahu, additional chief secretary of environment climate change and forests, in her post on social media stated, “With the veterinary team concluding that there was almost nil chance of survival of the mother elephant, efforts were initiated on Monday morning to re-unite the calf with the native herd with her sibling. So we swiftly organized teams from Anamalai and Mudumalai, consisting of experienced frontline staff, veterinarians, and mahouts to aid in the reunification efforts.”
“On Monday around 8 pm, after identifying the native herd with the help of drones and night vision cameras, the calf was brought safely on to a department vehicle and taken to the site of the same native herd. In a swift process, the calf was reunited with another elderly female of the herd, after ensuring her capability of lactating and supporting the young calf,” she added.
Further, Sahu said, “As expected, the female and the rest of the herd took the baby elephant under their wings lovingly. The reuniting team visited the field to monitor the progress and was rewarded with a wonderful sight of the baby elephant alongside the female crossing the road with the herd at 9.30 am on Tuesday. This is the latest among multiple successful calf relocation attempts made by the TN Forest Department, and the very first such effort in the Sathyamangalam landscape.”
Jumbo attack: Woman dies
Coimbatore: A 60-year-old woman, believed to have mental health issue, died in an elephant attack near Perur Pachapalayam in the wee hours on Monday. Sources said the woman was staying in a temple for the last six months. “Two elephants came to the area and one of them pushed her. Due to the shock she died on the spot,” an official said.