Efforts are on to save the elephant calf that was admitted to the Veterinary Hospital of the Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) under Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University at Pookode a couple of days ago.
Forest officials rescued the six-month-old male calf from the Sugandhagiri section of forest under the Kalpetta forest range in the South Wayanad forest division in an abandoned state. It was later admitted to the hospital.
‘The animal was in a shock and had severely infected deep wounds on its hind legs from a suspected tiger attack, Forest Department sources said.
‘When the baby was admitted to the inpatient facility hospital it was recumbent and barely breathing. However, the baby has shown progressive improvement now,’ CWS sources said.
It started taking oral balanced salt solution fortified with glucose the very next day following specially prepared milk substitute and tender coconut water.
“Caring for elephant itself is a very specialised job, as it requires round-the-clock attention by a team of committed people,’ Joju Johns, Ellette De Gama, and U. Koundinya, postgraduate surgery students of the varsity, who are attending to the calf, said.
