COIMBATORE: In a poignant sequence of events, forest officials in Sathyamangalam had to dig a pit to arrest the movement of a calf elephant which refused to leave its ailing mother, hindering the efforts of veterinary doctors who had to attend to revive the immobile adult jumbo which collapsed due to illness.

The forest officials had to first dig up a four feet deep pit and leave the two-month-old calf in it to prevent its interference.

The female elephant aged around 40 years along with its calf had ventured out of the forest area in Bannari near Sathyamangalam and entered Rajan Nagar, where it collapsed due to some ailment on Sunday. Villagers found the calf trumpeting, apparently in an attempt to wake up the mother elephant.

After being informed, the forest department staff rushed to the spot and took efforts to commence treatment for the adult elephant battling for life but the calf resisted attempts by the staff to go nearby. The calf kept on coming back to the treatment site and tried to fend off the veterinarians and the forest staff, forcing them to restrict its movement putting it in a pit.

The calf was fed with milk and water in the pit even as desperate attempts were made to revive the sick elephant by feeding it with glucose and medicine. The efforts were on to revive the adult elephant till the time of filing the copy.