Elephant calf dies at Kottoor

Sreekutty was rescued from Ambanad estate in Kollam in 2019

The elephant rehabilitation centre at Kappukadu, near Kottoor, bid adieu to one of its youngest residents, Sreekutty, early Monday. The calf aged one year and seven months old breathed her last following high fever for the past two days. Veterinarians who oversaw her post-mortem examination suspected infection due to elephant endotheliotropic herpes virus (EEHV) to be the cause of the death. Massive internal bleeding was found during the post-mortem examination. Blood samples were sent to the State Institute of Animal Diseases (SIAD), Palode, for confirming the disease. According to former Chief Veterinary Officer E.K. Easwaran, epidemiology studies would be done to understand the cause of the infection that usually affected elephants aged below 12 years. Antiviral drug, acyclovir, is administered among calves in the age group.