Thiruvananthapuram: Elephant expert P S Easa has criticised the state forest department’s decision to send Maya, the ailing elephant calf being treated at Abhayaranyam in Kodanad, outside the state for treatment.The forest department on Friday sent the ailing 18-month-old orphan calf to Vantara for advanced treatment. The calf was moved to Kochi airport by animal ambulance and airlifted to Jamnagar in Gujarat.Chief wildlife warden P Pugazhendi told reporters that the calf suffers from a genetic disorder and bone thinning and the state didn’t have facilities to treat it and Vantara had come forward with a treatment plan for four to six months. It will be brought back, he added. Pugazhendi said the Vantara team had offered hormone therapy and hydrotherapy.Easa, who had been working with elephants for 40 years, told TOI, “We have the best veterinarians to treat elephants and have a special centre for that. We have been sending experts to other states to treat wild elephants.”He said Kerala and Assam had the best facilities to treat elephants in the country and wondered whether Vantara could guarantee its life.“Has the forest department consulted the veterinary university? It’s a shame to all veterinarians and also the forest department to have sent the calf outside for treatment. If we are going to send elephants for treatment outside, why did we set up all the elephant care facilities in the state?” he asked.Airlifting it out of the state for treatment will be the wrong decision, he said. If the treatment here is unsuccessful, little more can be done, he added.The calf that has a medical condition was under treatment in Kodanad but suffered a fall in July, leading to a fracture. It is unable to walk presently despite physiotherapy.A source said the calf has a congenital metabolic bone disorder, affecting its bone development since birth. Its bones are as thin as eggshells, and its chances of survival are remote, he said. “Still, the care it received ensured that it has survived so far,” he added.At Vantara, the calf will be given hormone or gene therapy, but its gene is yet to be identified, the source said. Airlifting it will create a precedent of sending animals outside the state, he added.A veterinarian said the state has all the facilities needed to treat the animal. “There is a full-fledged hospital, a hi-tech laboratory with modern equipment, care centres and trained professionals. The calf’s survival so far demonstrates the effectiveness of the facilities and expertise available here,” he said.The weak calf was found abandoned near Kaprikkad in Malayattoor forest division in April 2025 after the herd crossed a river. It was rescued and brought to Abhayaranyam after its mother didn’t return for it. A health monitoring committee of the forest department had earlier recommended euthanasia for the calf.
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