Alipurduar, July 5: A two-month-old elephant calf was washed ashore at Haldibari this morning, an hour after it was spotted floating on the swollen Torsha by fishermen standing on the banks.

Foresters rescued the calf from the slushy riverbank, which is part of Haldibari Tea Garden, and took it to Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, 15km away.

Around 5.30am, the animal was spotted clinging to a tapu (sandbank) on the Torsha, 25 metres from the garden. The fishermen informed the authorities of the Haldibari garden, 50km from here, who in turn sent a message to the Nilpara range forest office.

An hour later, when 10 forest employees arrived with ropes, ready to pull the calf to the bank, the Torsha had already swept away the animal from the tapu.

“The current had brought it ashore to the river bank that is part of the Haldibari garden. The workers had already seen it. The animal got up when we approached, staggered a few feet and fell to the ground. We just scooped it up, put it on the truck and headed for Jaldapara,” said a forest employee.

The calf was taken to the Malangi beat in the east range of the sanctuary.

Proloy Mandal, the veterinary surgeon, said after examining the calf that its life was not in danger except that it was not having the milk that it was being given. Since its rescue, the animal has been sleeping most of the time.

“It is being given ORS and Glucon D intravenously at regular intervals. But this cannot go on for long. It has to have milk, but since we cannot force feed it, what it needs is a lactating kunki. Elephant calves depend on mother’s milk till around one-and-a-half years,” said Mandal. The mahouts have been told to keep the calf under a net to avoid mosquito bites.

“The animal is only two--months old. Care has to be taken so that it does not get infection of any kind. The mahouts have been told to keep the pen clean and hygienic,” said the vet.

A herd had crossed the river early in the morning and the calf was probably from that group. “It could not cross the river because of the current and had been floating till it came across a tapu,” a forester said.

Om Prakash, the divisional forest officer of wildlife-III, said the calf would be named soon. “We will get a kunki to act as foster mother for the calf.”