A male elephant calf was reunited with its herd at Borbhogia village in Kaliabor block of Assam's Nagaon district by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)-Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)-run Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS) team.
The MVS team was informed on December 15 that an elephant calf was found alone surrounded by dogs in a swampy wetland near the village, WTI Awareness for Conservation Assistant Manager Subhamoy Bhattacharjee said today.
Soon after receiving the information the IFAW-WTI MVS (Central Assam) team rushed to the spot and found the one-and- half-year-old calf confining himself to the water body being scared of the dogs, Bhattacharjee said.
The village is 85 km away from the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC), the wildlife care centre in Kaziranga National Park in Assam, he said.
With the support of the Assam Forest Department, locals and Green Guard - a conservation NGO - the calf was successfully rescued and taken to a safer place at the Jakhalabonda forest beat office for observation.
Dr Biswajit Boruah, who led the IFAW-WTI MVS team of vets examining the calf said, "The calf was healthy with no visible external injury. We decided to stabilise the calf first and at the same time planned a reunion attempt in accordance with scientific protocols in the evening when the herd was expected to pass through the nearby corridor."
The MVS team along with the Forest Department staff, locals and members of Green Guard went to the nearby elephant corridor in Kellyden Tea Estate with the calf and a spot with high chances of reunion was chosen to ensure that both the calf and the herd could meet.
"Around 9.30 pm on December 15, a herd of elephants came and thereafter the calf started to make loud noises. On hearing him, the herd stopped and approached the calf. Suddenly, the calf ran towards the herd. Initially, the herd looked at the calf and then slowly disappeared into the dense forest with the baby elephant," Dr Boruah said.
