Animal Welfare India Project #54897

Help rehabilitate 9 elephant babies in India

by Wildlife Trust of India

Help rehabilitate 9 elephant babies in India

Project Report | Nov 21, 2023
Elephant Calves You Help Nurture Are All Well

By Monica Verma | Project Leader

See, how big they have grown!!

Greetings from Wildlife Trust of India.

We hope you are doing well!

The elephant calves you help us to nurture and rehabilitate are as fit as a fiddle. In one of our previous reports, we informed you about the deadly EEHV outbreak at our wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre, CWRC in Assam, India. This fatal viral disease affects Asian elephant calves, with a dreadful mortality rate of over 85%.

But we sailed through it with 0 mortality. While your donations are instrumental in helping us with their care, we also believe that your good wishes and positive vibes played a crucial role in saving their lives. Thank you so much for your unwavering support!

Of the 9 elephant calves we had at CWRC when we put up this appeal, 5 were successfully released back into the wild this past year, under the watchful eyes of our post-release monitoring team.

A new member, a tiny male calf, joined the remaining 4 at the centre, and the numbers keep changing with new admissions and releases.

The 4 EEHV survivors - Kunti (the group leader), Dhola, Sadiya, and Taiwan - have not just recovered, they are thriving. We are gradually weaning them off the elephant milk formula as they learn to forage on their own in the wild. Their Body Mass Index (BMI) is on point, and in another 5-6 months, they will be ready to return to the wild as big boys and girls!

Recently, on November 16, WTI celebrated its 25th anniversary. We are overwhelmed, elated, and humbled to have come this far, and we wish to share this happiness with our most important and beloved stakeholder - YOU.

On this very special occasion, we would like to venture beyond the heart-warming updates on our elephant rescue and rehabilitation efforts, to give you a glimpse of some more of WTI's incredible work.

In this short video, Vivek Menon, WTI Founder and Executive Director, and WTI's brand ambassador Dia Mirza (Actor and humanitarian) briefly talk about some of WTI's initiatives and express their gratitude for all the support we have garnered over these 25 years.

In addition to elephant calves, CWRC is also renowned for its rhino rehabilitation efforts. We have some incredible success stories in rhino rehabilitation as well. Our rhinos have not just survived, they went on to become mothers and grandmothers to calves born in the wild. Here's the story of Jamuna, one of our rehabilitated rhinos.

It's #GivingTuesday on November 28. Like always, we rely on you for funding elephant and other animal rehabilitations. Together, we create incredible legacies to leave this world better than we found it. Here's to keeping wildlife #ForeverWild.

Rhino rehab-Jamuna with her 2nd calf in the wild

Fun times: Jumbo bath!

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Sep 17, 2023
Their Journey: Your Impact

By Monica Verma | Project Leader

The tiniest of all tots, newest member at CWRC

Greetings from Wildlife Trust of India!

We hope this message finds you in good health and high spirits.

We're excited to provide you with updates on our ongoing efforts to rehabilitate elephant calves in India. Your generous donation to this project has our deepest appreciation. Your support is invaluable in providing daily nutrition and vital veterinary care to the elephant calves undergoing rehabilitation at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC).

Your contribution stands as a powerful testament to your unwavering dedication to making a significant difference in elephant conservation in India. Your understanding of our project empowers us to continue making a positive impact.

Thank you for your incredible support. Here are the latest project updates:

On August 14th, we admitted a very young male elephant calf from the West Kamrup Division in Assam, India. Found alone near the banks of the Nonoi River in Udalguri, the young one was severely dehydrated and emaciated at the time of rescue. While the team provided it with the necessary veterinary care, they also attempted to locate the calf's herd for a reunion, unfortunately without success.

Consequently, the calf was admitted to CWRC, its foster home, where it will undergo rehabilitation and nurturing until it is ready to return to the wild as a strong, free-roaming elephant. Currently, the young one is quarantined for stabilization and is under the intensive supervision of our trained team of veterinarians and animal keepers. In the coming 2-3 weeks, the elephant baby will join its peers at CWRC.

We also wanted to share a picture of 'Dhola' with his fellow elephant calves at CWRC. 'Dhola' has been a cherished part of our journey, and we've mentioned him on our appeal page as well.

Poaching, human-animal conflict, and natural or man-made disasters are just a few of the many reasons why young animals in the wild lose parental care. Once orphaned, it becomes nearly impossible for these younglings to survive on their own.

Rehabilitating wild animals not only transforms individual tragedies into success stories but also adds to the overall wild population of India. For species like elephants, facing extinction, rehabilitation becomes a crucial strategy for bolstering their numbers in the wild.

Our joy knows no bounds when rehabilitated individuals successfully adapt to their natural habitat. We feel privileged to be part of these incredible journeys, which would not have been possible without the generous support of individuals like you. Thank you for giving these orphaned babies a second chance at life.

Warm regards,

Team WTI

PS – While the names 'Dhola,' and others are assigned for communication purposes and human reference, it's important to note that these names do not represent personal identities for the animals. Instead, to track and monitor the progress of a rehabilitated animal, we employ identification methods like numbered tags, microchips, or other non-personal identifiers. This is critically important for wildlife rehabilitation and for the safety and survival of the individuals in the wild.

Dhola with his friends at CWRC: Second from left

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May 11, 2023
All's well at CWRC

By Monica Verma | Project Leader

Greetings from Wildlife Trust of India!

Hope you are doing well!

This email comprises an update on our project ‘Help Rehabilitate 9 elephant babies in India’. Along the updates, we send to you our heartfelt gratitude for the generosity and for your trust in the work we do to nurture and raise these orphaned kids. It is through such acts of kindness that we are able to give these calves a second chance at life and return them to their true home, as free, wild elephants.

At WTI’s Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC), our team of animal keepers and veterinarians is trying to raise the young ones as close to how their own mothers would in the wild. From years of experience in raising orphaned wild calves and cubs, we can tell you that’s no easy feat.

Thank you so much for contributing to their daily nourishment and food. We are very grateful to you for the support. The calves are all doing well, developing their natural wild instincts and preparing for a life in the wild.

A couple months back we encountered a very challenging situation. All the elephant calves were showing symptoms of EEHV (Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus), which is a fatal haemorrhagic disease that mostly affects young Asian elephants. The mortality rate among the infected individuals is dreadfully high.

As the calves started showing initial symptoms of the disease, we all got very worried, and the team was on its toes to mitigate the impact and save the calves. Immediate intervention and preventive treatment – the tests and medicines – worked and thankfully all the calves survived.

We are so happy now that the kids have safely recovered, regained their health and are back to their normal routine. They are growing up well and have even started accompanying the animal keepers on regular walks into the forest, where they learn the essential survival skills and get accustomed to their forever wild home.

Another interesting observation is how the eldest female elephant calf has taken up the role of the herd leader. All the younger ones follow her around, which is quite similar to the elephant herds in the wild who are led by wise, old matriarchs.

These bonds they form are so special and we feel so happy to play a role in their beautiful journey. We are sure you too feel the same.

Once again, thank you so much for supporting their rehabilitation back to the wild.

Warm regards,

Team WTI

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