The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Orphaned elephant calf finding its feet in Vandalur zoo

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 26, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Orphaned elephant calf finding its feet in Vandalur zoo

P. Oppili

Animal's health improving, may be put in the exhibit area in a month

SETTLING DOWN: The orphaned female calf seen at Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur, on Monday. — Photo: A. Muralitharan

CHENNAI: If things go as planned, the orphaned female calf rescued by forest department officials from Krishnagiri district lodged at Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur, near here will be put in the exhibit area in a month.

Training begins

A mahout has started training the animal. Slowly, it will be taught to obey commands such as `sit' and `stand', say zoo authorities.

The calf is taken around the veterinary hospital for its evening stroll.

P.L. Ananthasamy, Chief Conservator of Forests and Director of the zoo, said that there was a substantial improvement in the calf's health during the past week.

Diet

The calf loves eating a particular species of bamboo, which grows in the forests of Krishnagiri district.

Its second favourite is a mixture of ragi, horse gram, rice and jaggery.

Zoo vets said the grains were ground, sieved and boiled, and then made into a small ball. The feed is supplemented with vitamins, minerals and calcium, they said.

At present, the animal takes about 500 to 700 gm of this feed, said Mr. Ananthasamy. Slowly the quantity will be increased, he said.

For about a week, the calf used to charge at anyone who went near it. But, slowly the mahout befriended the animal, and it has stopped charging at people now.

The zoo houses three calves, including the orphaned one. The other two are six-year-old Vikram rescued in March 2000 and Chellamma, also rescued from a forest area.

The orphaned female calf is 10 months old.

It strayed into Ayyur village near Denganikotta in Hosur Forest division in the first week of this month.

A couple of days later its mother died.

The animal, which was under the custody of forest officials for two days, was shifted to Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur, for rehabilitation.

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