Elephant calf, abandoned by herd, sent to Dulhazra safari park

A baby elephant, estimated to be 15-20 days old, has been sent to the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Safari Park in Chattogram's Dulhazra on Thursday (19 October) as a last resort after the calf was abandoned by its herd.

Repeated attempts to reunite the baby elephant with its clan failed, officials of the Forest Department said.

The giant baby animal was sent to the safari park to save its life and to avoid an attack from its herd on the locality, they added.

The elephant got separated from its herd after being stuck in mud in Pairang forest located at Saral union of Banshkhali in Chattogram five days ago. The calf stayed stuck in the mud for three days while the herd kept trying to rescue it. After days of efforts failed, the clan moved on, leaving the calf behind.

The baby elephant was later rescued by locals and set free in the forest but it returned to the nearby locality at Sarail union.

"Thousands of people were thronging to see the calf. The herd of elephants might get agitated with so many people nearby [and attack the locality] leading to the risk of loss of life and property. Thus we decided to send the calf to the safari park," said Rafiqul Islam Chowdhury, Wildlife Management & Nature Conservation Division, Chattogram.

The calf was suffering from a 103 degree F fever. Forest officials gave the elephant an antibiotic injection, and once recovered, it was released near the herd but the group rejected the calf. A second attempt at reuniting them failed as well.

Forest officials assume that the herd rejected the calf as it came into 'human contact'.