Hospitalised for a week, abandoned baby elephant still in critical condition
The nearly 1.5-month-old elephant calf was abandoned by its herd in Chattogram’s Banshkhali on 16 October. After four days, it was admitted to the safari park hospital
The condition of the abandoned baby elephant that has been undergoing treatment at the Bangabandhu Safari Park hospital in Cox's Bazar for a week continued to be critical.
The nearly 1.5-month-old elephant calf was abandoned by its herd in Chattogram's Banshkhali on 16 October. After four days, it was admitted to the safari park hospital.
"The calf is being treated under intensive care at the safari park hospital. Although it is now able to walk and run, the malnourished baby elephant is yet to recover from physical weakness," said the hospital's veterinary surgeon Dr Zulkarnain.
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He added that the elephant calf is given lactogen formula 8-10 times a day as well as oral saline. But due to its reluctance to eat, the calf's physical weakness is not decreasing.
"The calf is now able to walk. But, if its condition worsens, we have plans to give saline as a last resort," Dr Zulkarnain said further.
Dr Bibek Chandra Sutradhar, professor of Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, suggests that a mahout or elephant handler needs to be appointed to take care of the calf.
"If the baby elephant can be set free in the forest of the safari park, under the supervision of an experienced mahout, its health could improve faster," he said.
"Releasing it into the wild environment will increase its appetite for milk…The more fluids it can be given, the faster its condition will improve," added Dr Bibek.
Earlier, on 16 October, the baby elephant got separated from its herd after being stuck in mud in Pairang forest located at Saral union of Banshkhali in Chattogram. It was later rescued by locals.
Following failed attempts to return the calf to its herd, forest department officials on 20 October sent it to the Bangabandhu Safari Park, where it has been undergoing treatment since then.
"We are trying our best to cure the malnourished elephant calf," said Rafiqul Islam Chowdhury, divisional forest officer of Wildlife and Nature Conservation Division, Chattogram.
