CTR gives new lease of life to month-old baby elephant swept away in floodwaters

The Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) administration has given a new lease of life to a month-old female elephant calf that was found trapped in the floodwaters of the Malan river two days ago. The calf, which had been separated from its herd, is now under treatment and receiving full medical care.

CTR officials said the calf got separated from its herd in the Lansdowne Forest Division of Pauri district about three days ago. Lansdowne forest officials received information that a baby elephant had been washed away in the flooded Malan river near Kotdwar. A team from the Lansdowne Forest Division was immediately sent to search for the calf, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Later, they received information that the calf had become stuck between rocks in the river. The information was passed on to the Corbett Director and other officials. Acting swiftly, CTR forest staff located the baby elephant and rescued it safely from the gushing floodwaters.

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Interestingly, Corbett officials initially tried to reunite the calf with its herd. However, their efforts failed as no elephant group was found nearby. This forced the CRT administration to take the calf into its care.

CTR Director Dr Saket Badola said, “About three days ago, a baby elephant was washed away in the Malan river and was later found trapped between rocks by our search and rescue team. As soon as we received the information, the team immediately located the baby elephant and rescued it safely. After providing initial treatment and assessing its condition, the calf was brought to the Elephant Centre at Kalagarh in CTR.”

The CTR Director further said, “The rescued calf is a female, about a month old. She is slightly weak at the moment, but is receiving constant medical care under the supervision of senior veterinarian Dr Dushyant Sharma. Since she has separated from her mother, she is being fed cow milk. We are making every possible effort to improve her condition. She is currently stable, but continuous monitoring and medical care are essential for her full recovery.”

The Corbett Director said the calf is currently alone, as attempts to reunite her with her mother have failed. “The baby elephant is safe at the Corbett Elephant Centre, and efforts are being made to maintain an environment conducive to her natural habits to aid her recovery,” Dr Badola added.