‘Jaldapara: Rescued elephant calf being taken care by forest handlers’

Kolkata: The forest officials of Jaldapara National Park who rescued a 15-day-old elephant calf from the river during recent flood in Kurseong has been kept under the able care of the forest handlers at Pilkhana in Jaldapara.

The forest officials tried their best to reunite the baby jumbo with its mother but the herd had refused to accept it following its human contact.

“The baby elephant is under expert care at one of our Pilkhana in Jaldapara. Our able handlers are attending it. It is healthy, active and responding well,’’ said Parveen Kaswan, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Jaldapara National Park.

On October 5, the calf was rescued by forest officials from Mechibari area under Kurseong division while it was swept away in the current of the Mechi river.

The baby elephant had got estranged from the herd.

“It is the usual practice of the wild elephants that if any of them comes in contact with human, the herd refuses to accept it back. The same has happened in this case and it is nothing unusual,” said elephant expert Parvati Barua.

According to sources, the baby elephant is being offered medicine mixed with milk powder for increasing its immunity.

It is partially in a traumatised state after getting estranged from its mother. It will be kept in isolation for three weeks and during this time it will remain under constant supervision of the veterinarian.