The ailing female elephant that was shifted from Periya Thadagam to the elephant camp at Chadivayal for treatment for stomach ailment, gave birth to a male calf early Monday. A senior veterinarian attending on the animal said that both the mother and calf were stable and that they would be under observation for a few days.
In the face of charges by some wildlife activists that the forests department team failed to realise that the elephant was pregnant, a senior department officer said the personnel involved in rescuing it did not realise that it was in an advanced stage of pregnancy.
However, the veterinarian treating the elephant realised it was pregnant, but the exact stage could not be ascertained.
“Treatment was provided to the elephant considering the pregnancy factor also,” District Forest Officer S. Ramasubramanian said and added that they had not gone wrong in treating the ailing elephant.
The calf was born around 4.30 a.m. and was in the care of the mother.
The mother elephant’s condition is being constantly monitored by a team of veterinarians and department personnel led by wildlife veterinarian N.S. Manoharan.
Both the mother and calf will be under observation for a few days as the mother is aged around 45. Its ability to take care of itself and nurturing its calf will be studied, after which the department authorities in Chennai will decide on releasing them into the wild.
