Elephant calf with bone disorder airlifted from Keralam to Vantara in Gujarat for specialised treatment

KOCHI An 18-month-old elephant calf, unable to stand or walk due to a genetic bone disorder and said to have been abandoned by its herd at Kaprikkad here, after it suffered a fall, was airlifted on a chartered flight from the international airport here to Vantara in Jamnagar, Gujarat, for specialised treatment on Friday. The calf, Maya, had been severely weak and dehydrated and also showed signs of respiratory infection when it was discovered on April 19 in an abandoned condition in the forest under the Malayatoor division. Even as forest personnel waited for the calf’s mother to return, its health condition deteriorated, after which it was shifted to Abhayaranyam, an animal shelter, as directed by Chief Wildlife Warden P. Pugazhendi. This was followed by the constitution of an expert committee to monitor its health, official sources said. Injured in fall After a month, it could stand independently.