After reuniting, raising many orphaned elephant calves, T.N. Forest Dept. prepares Standard Operating Procedure

Tamil Nadu Forest Dept. releases SOP on orphaned elephant management, first of its kind in India. Compiled by 8-member committee, it provides clear guidelines on identifying age of calf, reuniting with herd, and hand-rearing in captivity.

After coming across several incidents of reuniting and raising orphaned elephant calves, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department has finally compiled the expertise of their staff and veterinarians into a document, laying down the standard operating procedure (SOP).

The Standard Operating Procedure on Orphaned Elephant Management, released by the department recently, is a first-of-its-kind initiative by any State in the country, says A. Udhayan, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Director of the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation, Chennai.

Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests, Tamil Nadu, formed an eight-member committee, headed by Mr. Udhayan, in April this year to prepare the SOP and a handbook for maintenance of camp elephants. 

According to Srinivas R. Reddy, PCCF and Chief Wildlife Warden, the document was developed based on scientific principles and the experience of staff, veterinarians, mahouts, and cavadis (assistants) of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) and the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), who are known for their skills in management of orphaned elephant calves, either resulting in rehabilitation in the wild or hand-rearing in captivity.

“The SOP gives clear guidelines on important aspects ranging from identifying the age of an abandoned calf to handling them by minimising stress and taking steps for reuniting them with the herd. If persistent attempts at reuniting the animal fail, it gives instructions on how to raise the calf,” says Assistant Veterinary Surgeon N. Kalaivanan, a member of the committee. 

A calf can become orphaned due to reasons such as the death of its mother, injury, disease, rejection by mothers in some cases, fleeing of the herd following an unprecedented situation and after getting trapped in a trench, well or a fenced area.

“The SOP will be helpful for field managers. It allows certain decision making processes at the local level...,” says K. Ramesh, Scientist, Wildlife Institute of India, another member of the committee.