CWRC, January 29, 2015: The six elephant calves being hand-raised at International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)-Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) run Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) got a new friend on January 29 after a female calf rescued from Ultapani Range in Manas National Park was brought to CWRC for care. Rescued on January 21, the female calf was under care at CWRC, Kokrajhar, where she was being looked after by the IFAW-WTI veterinarians who provided her with necessary medical care.

CWRC veterinarians treating the rescued calf.
Photo:Panjit/IFAW-WTI

On January 21, the forest staff while patrolling the Ultapani Range found a calf near the carcass of an adult elephant nearly three kms inside the forest. Since, the herd was nowhere to be seen and the mother dead, the forest department decided to take the calf to a safer place. The forest officials then informed Bimal Chandra Narzary, Ranger, Wildlife Division, Kokrajhar about the calf. The forest department officials along with IFAW-WTI veterinarian, Dr. Antony Nokso Pahangcho, reached the spot on January 22, 2015.

On assessing the condition of the calf, the IFAW-WTI veterinary team of CWRC, Choraikhola Satellite Centre, decided to mildly sedate the calf and shift her to IFAW-WTI transit home for further care. Meanwhile, the forest department authorised veterinarian conducted the post-mortem on the dead elephant, but could not assess the reason of her death.

CWRC veterinarians giving feed to the rescued calf.
Photo:Panjit/IFAW-WTI

Meanwhile, the IFAW-WTI veterinarian found out that the female calf was suffering with severe diarrhoea and required clinical examination. All necessary treatment was given to the calf at the CWRC Saraikhola Centre for the next few days and administered antibiotic doses. After detailed discussion between Dr Bhaskar Choudhary, Regional Head, IFAW-WTI, Assam, and Forest Department, it was decided that the calf will be shifted from Choraikhola to CWRC, Kaziranga.

“The calf was administered mild sedatives along with fluids to ensure that she could undertake the arduous journey of 500 kilometres which she did,” said Dr Bhaskar Choudhary. On her arrival at CWRC, three IFAW-WTI veterinarians — Dr. Biswajit Boruah, Dr. Panjit Basumatary and Dr. Anthoni Nokso Phangcho — attended to her. The animal was weighed and her health was examined in detail.

CWRC veterinarian doing a heatlh check up on
the rescued calf. Photo:Panjit/IFAW-WTI

Interestingly, this is the second elephant rescue from the Ripu Chirang Reserve Forest, Manas Tiger Reserve, within a month.

RN Boro, Divisional Forest Officer, Wildlife Division, Kokrajhar, BTC, added, “We extend all kind of support for wildlife welfare in BTC jointly with IFW-WTI team. I am hopeful that the CWRC team in Kaziranga will take of the calf’s well-being.”

CWRC veterinarians doing a heatlh check up on
the rescued calf. Photo:Panjit/IFAW-WTI

Dr Panjit Basumatary said, “The female calf is about one-year-old and the weighs 171 kg. At present, the calf is in the stabilization facility and constantly being observed by the vets and animal keepers of IFAW-WTI.”

The IFAW-WTI team of CWRC and the BTC forest department authorities are hopeful that the calf would become an active member of the small elephant herd of the centre and return back to the wild after the hand raising period is over.