Krishnagiri: A baby elephant rescued by the district forest officials will find its new home in either ‘Aringar Anna Zoological Park’ South of Chennai or ‘Muthumalai National Park’in the Northwestern side of Nilgiris district.
This is the second baby elephant to be shifted to a new home out of Krishnagiri reserved forest. The first calf was sent in July 2006 to Aringar Anna zoological park in Vandalur near Chennai after that was found moving without its mother.
The Forest department officials, narrating the rescue of the second calf, said the Thadikal villagers here first spotted the animal in Denkannikottai taluk of Krishnagiri district a few weeks ago. Initially, the villagers fearing trouble from its mother chased the animal back into the forest.
But, the baby elephant returned again to the village.This time, the animal was weak and could not walk properly because of wounds found in its hind legs.
The local villagers out of pity took care of the baby jumbo till the district Forest officials rescued and shifted it to the Ayyur forest office where the doctors treated the animal.
Then, the jumbo calf was released in the forest where a herd of elephants stayed, in the hope that the wild animal will rejoin its family. However, the baby elephant was spotted again in another village, a few days after it was released in the reserved forest. The Forest officials, following the rescue of the baby elephant, had hence concluded, “the animal cannot be reunited with its mother or its family”. They had decided to keep the wild animal in their care till it recovered from the illness.Now, with the health of the baby elephant being good, the officials have decided to send the jumbo either to the Aringa Anna Zoological Park of Nilgiris district.
