A male elephant calf aged about one year that lost its way was united with its herd in a matter of hours on Saturday in the forest area linking Sirumugai and Bhavani Sagar ranges.
According to farmers in the vicinity, a herd of 30 elephants that had come to quench thirst at a stream leading to Bhavani Sagar reservoir had left behind the calf. The elephant calf had meandered to the opposite side of the stream in the jurisdiction of Bhavani Sagar range.
A team of forest personnel rushed to the spot after receiving information from the farmers, fed the calf and waited for the herd to return.
In the evening, when the elephants came back to drink water, local farmers facilitated the forest personnel to identify the mother elephant. As it had been acclimatised to walking with the herd, the calf kept walking behind the foresters team and moved closer to the animals.
“On sighting its baby, the mother elephant trumpeted loudly and took it back in the herd’s fold,” said Bernanrd, Range Officer of Sathyamangalam.
“There have been instances in the past of elephant herds rejecting calves that had been under human care for some days. In this case, therefore, the elephant calf was not taken anywhere and was kept under monitoring in the same location till the herd returned,” he said.
