Elephant calf found abandoned in village near Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: An elephant calf aged around three to four months was found abandoned at the backwater area of Bhavanisagar dam in Kandavayal village in the district in the early hours of Saturday after being separated from its mother and herd.

The calf was seen playfully running along Kandavayal-Mokkaimedu road beside the reserve forest, prompting forest officers to begin efforts to reunite it with the herd.

According to a forest officer, they had seen the calf, along with its mother and herd, moving toward the backwater area from Odanthurai reserve forest in the Sirumugai forest range in the early morning. “At some point, the herd moved on, leaving the calf behind, and the young elephant was unable to follow their trail.”

Locals, who spotted the calf, alerted the forest frontline staff. A team led by Sirumugai forest range officer K Manoj rushed to the spot and began monitoring the situation.

The officer said they deliberately avoided touching or capturing the calf to prevent it from acquiring a human scent, which could make it harder for the mother to accept it later. The department is now closely tracking the herd’s movement inside the reserve forest using a drone equipped with a thermal camera. “If the herd returns to the backwater area, we are planning to take steps to reunite the calf with its mother.”