Left behind by its herd, the weak elephant calf collapsed alone—until forest officers arrived, offering hope to its fading spirit.

An elephant calf abandoned by its herd was rescued by a team of vets and forest officers near the border town of Sullia in Karnataka.

The calf belonged to a herd of eight wild elephants that had been frolicking in the Payaswini River until Saturday evening. The herd had three calves but one of them was too weak to keep up with the rest of the beasts. The other elephants tried to nudge the calf along to the forest but had to leave it to its fate.

The calf had collapsed by the river when the forest officers rushed to the spot to rescue it. The calf seemed about six months old. It was back in its elements after being fed nine bottles of glucose liquids and some medicines.

Dr Venkatachalapathy led the medical rescue in telephonic consultations with elephant experts in Nagarahole and Shivamoga.

The calf stood on its feet and drank some milk offered by the vets. The officers also tried to feed the calf some fruits but it declined.

The calf was running around by the evening. The forest officers are waiting for the herd to come back and claim the calf. The department will have to find a place to take care of the calf if the herd does not come back, Sullia range forest officer N Manjunath said.