2-yr-old elephant calf reunited with mother ( Bengaluru) Coovercolly Indresh, Hindustan Times Jun 13, 2024 See link <https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/2yrold-elephant-calf-reunited-with-mother-101718221628926.html> for photo. Forest officials in Chamarajanagara district have reunited a two-year-old male elephant calf with its mother, officials familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. According to an official, the forest guards had found a calf collapsed on the ground during a routine patrol on June 10 in the Ganjigatti forest area, part of the Yalandur Wildlife Range within the BRT Tiger Reserve. The calf’s mother, who was nearby, was attempting in vain to assist her ailing offspring. The forest officials immediately notified the Yelandur range forest officer and BRT project director Deep J Contractor. “Following instructions from senior wildlife wing officers, we called in Dr Vasim Mirza, a veterinary doctor from the Bandipura forest department, who administered saline and antibiotics to the calf,” said Contractor. Upon examination of the animal, it was discovered that the calf was also suffering from diarrhea, which was promptly treated. The mission to reunite the calf with its mother involved three specialised teams - one that monitored the mother elephant using a drone, another treated the calf, and the third kept an eye on the elephant herd to prevent any attacks on the treating team, he said. He said: “After providing sugarcane and glucose, the calf slowly began to recover but still couldn’t stand. By June 12, the calf managed to stand, though still weak. The mother elephant approached but couldn’t take her calf back immediately due to a small gorge separating them.” As the calf’s condition improved throughout the day, the team facilitated the reunion on Tuesday. The calf managed to cross the gorge and rejoin its mother by evening. “Elephant calves often cannot survive under human care, as previous cases have shown. The mother elephant did attempt to attack the treating staff once, but the alert team managed to chase her away into the forest,” he said. “The dedicated 40-hour care provided by our officials saved the calf’s life. We continue to monitor the movements of both the mother and calf for another four to five days to ensure their wellbeing,” he added. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/2yrold-elephant-calf-reunited-with-mother-101718221628926.html