Alipurduar, Feb. 7 -- A 20-day-old female elephant calf has found a new home at Holong Central Pilkhana in Jaldapara National Park after being rescued by the Darjeeling Wildlife Division. The calf was found near the 10th Mile Office in Mahananda North Range on February 2, having strayed away from its herd. Forest staff tried for three days to reunite it with its family, but their efforts were unsuccessful. As the calf weakened due to a lack of its mother's milk, the Forest department decided to transfer it to Jaldapara for better care.
On Thursday night, the calf was transported by road to Jaldapara, where a team of specialised mahouts and a veterinary officer took charge. It is currently being fed formulated infant milk, approximately 1 to 1.5 litres per feeding, as per veterinary advice. Since it has yet to learn how to feed from a bottle, glucose and electrolytes are also being administered to prevent dehydration.
Parveen Kaswan, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Jaldapara Wildlife Division, stated: "The calf was sent to Jaldapara by the Darjeeling Wildlife Division for better management. Our veterinary team is closely monitoring its health. She is responding well to care and is being fed Lactogen milk as prescribed by the veterinary officer and senior mahout. The calf is now under the supervision of our specialised Pilkhana elephant management team."
Jaldapara National Park has a history of caring for orphaned elephant calves. In recent years, it has taken in several rescued elephants, including bear, a five-day-old calf rescued from the Torsa River in Kodal Basti Range in 2020, Gajaraj, a five-month-old calf rescued from Dalmore Beat of Jalpaiguri Division in 2023 and Teesta Rani, an eight-month-old calf rescued from Phuljhora Beat of Baikunthapur Division in 2024.
With the arrival of this new calf, Jaldapara National Park now houses 87 elephants, the highest number of Kumki (trained) elephants in the state. The park continues to play a vital role in elephant conservation and rehabilitation in North Bengal.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.