COIMBATORE/NILGIRIS: The forest department continued efforts for the third consecutive day on Monday to reunite an elephant calf with its herd.
"The elephant calf was reunited with its herd during a second attempt at Ooliyur forest around 3 pm on Monday. We will only know by midnight or Tuesday morning whether the herd has fully accepted the calf. As the animal is currently inside the forest, tracking its status will be possible only after it emerges," an official involved in the operation said.
The official also clarified that there are no plans to shift the calf to either the Kozhikamuthi elephant camp in Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) or the Theppakadu elephant camp.
One of the herd members had rejected the calf during a reunion bid on Sunday. To prevent the calf from retaining human scent, officials had avoided feeding it milk over the past two days. However, a forest official said the calf remains healthy and is moving around actively.
45-year-old old tusker dies
Meanwhile, a postmortem conducted on a 45-year-old tusker on Monday revealed that it died after a fight with another wild elephant at Bokkapuram in the Singara forest range of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
Though staff noticed the carcass on Sunday evening, the postmortem was carried out only on Monday afternoon due to procedural requirements. "There was evidence of tusk injuries on the stomach and across the body, indicating that the elephant had fought with another male.
Such infighting can occur for various reasons, including asserting dominance," said a forest department official. With this, the number of elephant deaths reported in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve has over the past week has risen to three.