An 18-month-old elephant calf that could not stand or walk was airlifted on a chartered flight from Kerala to Vantara in Jamnagar, Gujarat, on Friday, for specialised treatment of a genetic bone disorder.

The calf, named Maya, had been left in a forest in Kerala with no sign of its herd. Officials said it had been abandoned at Kaprikkad, and it made the journey that ends a months-long struggle to keep it alive.

Found alone in the forest

Maya was discovered on April 19 in an abandoned condition in the forest under the Malayatoor division. It was severely weak and dehydrated, and it also showed signs of respiratory infection.

Forest personnel waited for the calf’s mother to return. The mother never came back, and the calf’s health kept deteriorating. Chief Wildlife Warden P. Pugazhendi directed that the calf be shifted to Abhayaranyam, an animal shelter. An expert committee was then formed to monitor its health.

A fall that changed everything

For a time, the shelter offered hope. After a month, the calf could stand on its own. Then, in July, when it was 15 months old, it slipped and fell while playing. The fall injured its right shoulder.

The injury left the animal in intense pain. Its shoulder joint swelled, and so did the dorsal thoracic region and the left chest. The matter was referred for urgent expert assessment.

Treatment continued under the watch of the committee, but the calf’s condition worsened. Blood values and radiographic images of its bones showed that its skeletal health was not improving. The bones had become extremely osteopenic and brittle, which pointed to congenitally defective bone formation.

A verdict that was not the end

The expert committee concluded that a healthy recovery was doubtful, given the congenital nature of the condition. It recommended that the calf be euthanised at an early date, because it was suffering immense pain.

The Chief Wildlife Warden then consulted Kushal Konwar Sharma, a specialist elephant veterinary doctor from Assam. Acting on his advice, Manilal, a doctor from Vantara who was on an official visit to Kerala, went to Abhayaranyam and examined the ailing calf on November 1.

Sustained hormone treatment could bring back the calf from the brink.

That was the suggestion Manilal made after his examination. Dr. Pugazhendi recommended that it be considered, and the decision to move the calf followed.

The flight out

The calf was taken to the international airport in a specially arranged animal ambulance. A team of experts and the calf’s mahout travelled with it on the flight, ready to assist if needed. Vantara will cover the cost of the transport and the treatment, official sources said.

At Cochin International Airport, the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) made comprehensive arrangements at its domestic cargo terminal. In a release, the company said it set up special provisions to handle the calf in its cage and move it safely onto the chartered aircraft. CIAL also supplied infrastructure, logistical support and operational assistance.

Veterinary examinations were carried out before the flight and during the journey to monitor Maya’s health. Airport director Manu G. and cargo head Satheesh J. Pai oversaw the arrangements. Representatives of the Forest department, Vantara, and the veterinary and support teams were also at the cargo facility to coordinate the transfer.

What the calf faces now

Maya’s story has moved from an abandoned forest clearing to a chartered flight across the country in a matter of months. The bone disorder is congenital, and the expert committee had doubts about recovery. The treatment now proposed is the sustained hormone therapy that Manilal suggested, and it will be carried out at Vantara in Jamnagar.

For the teams who kept the calf alive through the shelter months, the flight was the moment their work had been building toward. For the officials, veterinarians and airport staff who coordinated every step, it was a rare case where a plan that began with a grim prognosis ended with a living animal on its way to a new chance.