Berhampur: The deserted baby elephant rescued near Sunapur on the outskirts of the city in Ganjam district on Tuesday will be shifted to the Nandankanan Zoological Park soon.
“The forest department is currently nurturing the baby elephant at Tamana beat house. Very soon it will be shifted to Nandankanan,” said DFO Amlan Nayak.
It is worth mentioning that the elephant calf that went astray from its mother was intriguingly deserted by the herd.
The baby elephant was part of the herd which sneaked into the locality and subsequently entered Tampara lake causing extensive damage to prawn enclosures and fishing boats. Meanwhile, the calf got stuck in marshy lake pond and suffered injuries.
Some villagers tried to ward off the calf towards the herd after rescuing it, however, their efforts turned futile as the herd rejected the calf.
“After noticing the calf who suffered injuries after entering the lake, some fishermen and youths of the village rescued it and tried to drop it near the mother elephant. But the herd did not accept it as it was rescued by human beings,” said a local resident.
(Edited by Rashmi Ranjan Mohanty)