Baripada, Sept. 22: Bablu, the elephant calf, which is being groomed in captivity after being abandoned by its herd, was shifted to a new enclosure built by authorities of the Similipal Tiger Reserve.

The enclosure under the Pithabata range has been built to provide the male jumbo adequate space and better environment to grow. The arrangement has been made, according to the specifications of Central Zoo Authority of India, said an official.

Deputy director of the tiger reserve Ajit Satpathy said: "A water tank, an earth pit and a shed have been made inside the enclosure."

"From now onwards, no one except the caretakers will go near Bablu as we will minimise human interference. Sobha, its foster mother, will be with Bablu. Later, it will be released in the wild," he said.

"Bablu's shifting from the Bhanjkia nursery, where it had been sheltered for about nine months, to Pithabata has been made to give the baby jumbo a larger space and bring it up in a secluded environment," said honorary wildlife warden Bhanumitra Acharya.

"As Bablu had not been accepted by its mother and other herd members, there was a risk towards its life. Now, it is about one year old. After about five years, we will release it in the forest," he said.

Wildlife officials rescued Bablu, then three months old, from a pit under the Dukura range after its mother and other members of the herd had abandoned it.

The tiger reserve authorities, who had earlier plan to groom the jumbo as a kumki (trained elephant), dropped the idea.

Instead, they plan to leave in its natural habitat, after it develops wild habits.