Kapilash Zoo to house elephant calf deserted by herd

BERHAMPUR: The elephant calf, deserted by its herd and rescued near Sunapur in Chikiti, would be shifted to Kapilash Zoo.

Divisional forest officer (DFO) Amlan Nayak on Wednesday said the calf, which is over three months old, has suffered no major injuries and is being looked after by forest staff. Its health is being monitored by the block veterinary officer of Kukudakhandi. The calf will be shifted to its new home in a day or two, as approved by the Chief Wildlife Warden.

A herd of elephants had entered Bahuda Lake and the calf got stuck in a marsh. The herd reportedly abandoned the calf and damaged prawn gheris, boats and fishing nets worth of over `30 lakh.Later, the calf was rescued by local fishermen. “We tried to reunite the calf with the elephants but the herd did not respond. We also waited for several hours for the reunion but to no avail. Later, we took the calf into our custody,” the DFO said.

Every year, the elephant herd from Sheragada enters Chikiti but rarely wanders near the sea. The group has started returning to its place via Pitatali and accordingly, the locals have been alerted, Nayak said.To avoid any untoward incident, forest staff are monitoring movement of the herd. The loss caused by the elephants would be compensated as per provisions, the DFO added.