Elephant calf dies in forest

17 August 2009,

JALPAIGURI: An elephant calf, which had been under treatment at Dhupjhora in Jalpaiguri for the last two and a half months, died of liver and kidney

failure on Sunday. Although the forest department claimed they had tried their best to save Aranya, the jumbo, local foresters alleged that no initiative was taken to send it to Jaldapara, where a kunki (pet) elephant could have acted as its surrogate mother and saved its life. Experts and environmentalists have held the forest department responsible for the death. Former director of Sundarban Tiger Reserve Pranabesh Sanyal said emergency measures were needed to save Aranya since young elephants usually don't survive outside the herd. "Quick measures might have saved the calf," he said. "When it became clear that Aranya had a problem digesting his food, he should have been taken to Jaldapara. Instead, the officials wrongly tried to project that the calf was doing well. They should be penalized," said Animesh Basu, coordinator of the Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation. Separated from its herd, the five-month-old calf had been swept away while crossing the Jaldhaka on June 30. After being rescued by locals, the calf was brought to Dhupjhora for treatment, but its condition deteriorated, eventually leading to its death. Suffering from an acute indigestion problem, Aranya found it extremely difficult to take powdered milk and fodder provided to him, foresters pointed out. Forest officials, on the other hand, argued that they had considered the possibility of shifting the calf to Jaldapara. "The kunki at Jaldapara is already feeding two calves. It would have been an additional burden on the animal and it could well have rejected Aranya," said Tapas Das, divisional forest officer, Jalpaiguri Wild Life Division II. But forest employees refused to accept the explanation. "Apart from Sundarmani, the elephant now acting as a mother to a calf called Titi, there is another elephant, Champakali, which could have fed Aranya. Champakali is known there as the universal mother. Also, Jaldapara is far more equipped to look after ailing calves than any other place in North Bengal. The survival rate of calves there is about 80% more than the other rescue centres," said a forest official. Titi, the other calf, was rescued only a week after Aranya was brought to Dhupjhora. It was sent to Jaldapara and has recovered appreciably. A medical team was set up to supervise Aranya's treatment. The calf was put on medicines but they failed to revive the animal. It had been rejecting the food offered to it. Aranya could not digest powdered milk either. Locals alleged that even as an adult male was electrocuted at Mainaguri on Saturday, the DFO was busy organizing a football match at Rhino Point. The elephant's post-mortem was postponed by a day.