Kaziranga, September 15 2014: The International Fund for Animal Welfare-Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI) team recently rescued a male elephant calf from Uttarkochi in Baksa District of Assam. The calf, less than a month old, was suspected to have been separated from its herd the night before it was spotted by locals near the Pagaldiya River near Manas Tiger Reserve.
The Manas Chowki Eco-Tourism Society was informed, who immediately conveyed the message to the IFAW-WTI team. The calf was brought back to the camp and treated for severe dehydration and an attempt was made the same night to reunite him with his herd, which was reportedly on the other side of the forest. Unfortunately two attempts at reunion were unsuccessful and the calf was transported to the IFAW-WTI run Centre for Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) in Kaziranga the next day for hand-raising.
“The calf is stable for now and is constantly under supervision. It is always a challenge when we get calves this small. They are extremely sensitive and need constant attention to make sure no complications arise. The vets and his new keeper- who’ll be like a surrogate mother- will be working around the clock for many weeks to make sure that he gets all the necessary care which is crucial for development at this stage. Behavioral and emotional needs will have to be addressed at every stage,” said Dr Bhaskar Choudhary, Regional Head of Assam for WTI.
CWRC has successfully hand-raised, rehabilitated and monitored eight calves since its inception over a decade ago. Dr Ashraf NVK, Chief Veterinary Officer of WTI explained more about the challenges of hand-raising young orphan elephant calves saying, “Success or failure while raising young elephant calves is a combination of many factors, which are bound to arise when raising the young of such a social species. Emotional deprivation is one such factor, with the sudden separation from its mother and the herd. The calf will need constant attention and a keeper- who would already be fostering a few calves of the age- will be given the responsibility of the young one. The keeper will literally sleep next to the calf at night to help provide the much needed emotional support.”
Dr Ashraf further expanded on the needs while maintaining the importance of good hygienic conditions and the right food. With elephant calves naturally susceptible and prone to infections like salmonella, herpes etc., ensuring that they stay healthy and disease free is a task unto itself. “One of the biggest challenges is also the right milk formula. There are no domestic animals which are equivalent to the elephant and hence a milk substitute is hard to find. For instance for gaurs one may rely on cow milk and for wild buffalo, one can look at the domestic buffalo. But a separate milk formula- which is currently not available in India- needs to be prepared for the elephant calves and has to be accordingly adjusted with every stage of lactation. Using the wrong milk formula can easily lead to formula intolerance which can lead to digestive disorders which in turn can prove to be fatal!” he said.
An elephant calf when brought in to CWRC is usually kept in isolated intensive care for over a month and is then introduced to calves of his own age. While a calf is generally weaned off milk in the centre after the age of 2-2 ½, it generally starts eating grass at the age of 6-7 months old. “No matter how well the food and supplements are, there is always a difference of growth rate between orphan calves which are being hand-raised, as opposed to calves with their mother. Hopefully, we will be able to help reduce the difference in the future with a better formula,” remarked Dr Ashraf.
