Jumbo calf strays into residential area; efforts to send it back to forest on

M N Najmal Ameen, Range Officer, Karulayi Range, said an elephant herd was spotted in the forest and it was assumed that the calf might have got separated from its herd.

An elephant calf, which had strayed into a populated area, is yet to join its herd, forest officials said on Thursday. The calf, which seemed to be five-to-six months old, was spotted in the human settlement at Valayamkund near Karulayi forest range on Wednesday. The local people's attempt to reunite it with its herd failed, officials said.

A group of local people stopped the elephant using a rope and tried to release it in the nearby forest area, but it came back after some time.

Based on their information, forest officials reached the spot and took custody of the calf. They tried to send it back to forest and the efforts continued today. M N Najmal Ameen, Range Officer, Karulayi Range, said an elephant herd was spotted in the forest and it was assumed that the calf might have got separated from its herd. He also said the tusker calf seemed healthy. ''As per the instructions of the veterinarian, we have given him tender coconut and Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS). It has no other health issues except the tiredness of its separation from the herd. We are still continuing our attempt to make the calf join its herd,'' the officer told PTI.