The foresters treat the injured elephant calf at Taipoo beat office on Thursday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo

Siliguri, June 26: After relentless efforts of more than a week to stop a group of elephants from entering Nepal by crossing the Mechi river, foresters finally succeeded last night in steering the herd towards Lohagarh and Bengdubi, leading to Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary.

The guards, however, found an elephant calf separated from the herd in a cornfield at Tarabari near Trihana Tea Estate. Local people were pelting the female calf with stones when the foresters spotted it. The animal was rescued, treated and later released into the herd. The foresters hope that the elephants would accept the little one.

“Our men found the calf, surrounded by a group of people, in the village this morning. Many of them were throwing stones at the animal aged around seven-eight months,” said Sumita Ghatak, the divisional forest officer (wildlife-1).

“They rescued the isolated calf, which was weak because of dehydration, and brought it to Taipoo beat office,” the DFO said.

There were minor injuries and bruises on the pachyderm’s body. The calf was treated, given water and kept under watch for sometimes before it was reunited with the herd.

The DFO said there was always a possibility of the herd not accepting a jumbo which had gone out of its route and come in contact with humans.

“We, however, tried our best to make sure that the calf is absorbed into its group by pasting all over its body a mixture of the dung of the same herd and mud. The way the calf shrieked and moved with the herd raises our hopes that it will be accepted by the elephants. Even then, we are keeping our fingers crossed,” said Ghatak.

On the movement of elephants, the DFO said “hula party members” (elephant chasers) from Bankura and the guards had driven the animals into Lohagarh.

The herd is in Bengdubi forest area near Bagdogra now. The rise in the water level of the Balason river, which they need to cross, and the presence of calves, prompted the pachyderms to halt last night.

The forest officer said although the herd was far away from the border, there were still chances of a retreat.

“Until and unless the elephants reach Mahananda sanctuary, we cannot say for sure that they will not return to the border,” she said. The “Hula party” will stay for some more days.