Nov

Male Elephant Calf, Orphaned after Traumatic Event at Construction Site, Rescued and Brought to CWRC

CWRC, Kaziranga National Park, November 25, 2016: A male elephant calf, about three to four months old, was rescued by an IFAW-WTI Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS) team after it and its mother had fallen into a newly dug construction ditch at the Assam Industrial Development Complex (AIDC) in Ghoramari-Balipara on November 23. Personnel from the Assam Forest Department and volunteers at the scene assisted in the rescue.

_{The elephant calf with its mother in the ditch into which they fell at the Patanjali Herbal & Mega Food Park construction site}

The ditch had been dug for the construction of Indian FMCG company Patanjali Ayurveda Limited’s Patanjali Herbal & Mega Food Park, the foundation stone of which was laid earlier this month. According to forest department sources, a mother and two calves were separated from a herd of elephants that frequents this area; their fall into the ditch, which is over 14 feet deep, resulted in severe injuries to the mother. While the sub-adult calf was able to climb out and move to safety the smaller calf remained with its mother.

“The mother was in a comatose condition and unable to attend to the calf”, said MVS veterinarian Dr Samshul Ali. “Though we tried every means to resuscitate her, she succumbed to her injuries in the late hours of November 23.” The calf was sedated and shifted to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC), IFAW-WTI and the Assam Forest Department’s wildlife rescue, treatment and rehabilitation facility near Kaziranga National Park.

This tragic incident has raised several questions about the construction of the Patanjali Herbal & Mega Food Park, especially since the Ghoramari area is known to be frequented by elephant herds and other wildlife moving between Nameri National Park and Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary.

_{The rescued calf has been placed under observation in a restricted outdoor enclosure at CWRC, with two similarly aged calves for company}

The rescued calf was examined at CWRC’s Large Animal Nursery by the centre’s lead veterinarian Dr Panjit Basumatary. “The calf has undergone considerable emotional trauma and is under severe stress”, he said. “After preliminary investigations we have decided to place him under observation in the specially designed kraal in our outdoor enclosure, with two other elephant calves of the same age to provide a sense of comfort.”

With this new addition, there are now nine orphaned elephant calves being hand-raised at CWRC in the hope of eventual wild rehabilitation. The other eight calves are all females.