COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Forest Department has deployed drones to locate and reunite the elephant calf separated from its mother herd.
The 11-month-old male calf, which was separated from its mother, was spotted in Sirumugai Forest Range. It is now under the care of the forest department, and efforts were initiated to reunite the calf with its herd.
The calf elephant was fed with lactogen milk and fodder. A search is on for the mother herd at the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) as the Sirumugai range is located nearby.
“Drones were utilised on Wednesday to search for the mother herd of the calf in the forest area. The department also monitored if any elephant, as a herd or alone, comes to consume water in the nearby watershed area. Five teams of the frontline staff of the forest department were also on a search for any elephant herd inside the forests,” said an official.
Even though the animal showed symptoms of stress-induced illness, the calf became stable after some treatment.
In another wildlife-related incident, a female elephant was found dead at the Anchetty forest area in Hosur in Krishnagiri on Wednesday.
A team of frontline staff, who were on routine patrol, noticed the female elephant lying dead in a decomposing state. “The elephant, aged around eight years, did not have any visible external injuries, suggesting that it did not die due to infighting. A preliminary examination during the post-mortem revealed that the elephant may have died of some illness,” said an official.