The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has moved a newborn elephant calf to Okutala Etosha Lodge as an intervention to save its life.
Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda on Saturday in a media statement said the elephant calf is part of the Ugab herd and was initially observed with the herd on Tuesday.
“Through monitoring, the ministry’s officials noticed that the calf was being abandoned by its mother and the entire herd,” he said.
Muyunda added that this particular herd has had several calf mortalities in recent years, and it was determined that the calf would perish if no intervention was initiated.
“Based on the fact that the herd has a low calf rearing success rate and on the unique adaptation to living in an arid region, the ministry decided that the calf be taken and raised elsewhere until it was strong enough to be released,” Muyunda said.
He said the calf was loaded and transported under ministry supervision to Okutala Etosha Lodge where it was stabilised by the ministry veterinarian.
“Since then, primary care has been provided by Dr Simone Hertzog, who has a wealth of expertise caring for orphan elephants,” Muyunda said.
He added that even though the calf has been stabilised, the situation remains critical and the ministry, together with the Elephant Human Relations Aid, will continue the investigation into the possible causes of this high elephant calf mortality.
“Research into the high calf mortality rate in this region is being done in the hope of ensuring the survival of these unique animals,” he added.
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