OUR CORRESPONDENT
DIGBOI: A baby elephant, rejected by its herd and rescued last week, has been shifted to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) at Kaziranga for improved care and treatment.
The calf, which had sustained minor bruises, was rescued on September 19 after being denied acceptance by a herd. Since then, it had been sheltered at a forest nursery near the Nazirating reserve under the Digboi forest division. The rescue and care were jointly undertaken by the Digboi Forest Department and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
“We have been providing all possible healthcare to the calf, which is a government property. A team of forest personnel and WTI veterinarians has been monitoring its well-being,” said BV Sandeep, IFS, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Digboi.
On Friday afternoon, a team led by Forester I, Nitish Das, transported the mud-clad baby elephant in a specially-arranged vehicle, with due permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden. The accompanying team also confirmed to the Sentinel that the creature was being transported in stable condition.
Veterinary Surgeon Dr Mehendi Hassan confirmed that the calf was stable enough for transportation. Officials expressed hope that, under expert care at CWRC, the young elephant would recover and may one day be rehabilitated back into the wild, as has been successfully done with other orphaned calves in the past.
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