PALAKKAD: A one-year-old elephant that strayed from the herd in the Krishna Forest and reached the residential area of Palur in Attappady, has died. The baby elephant waited for its mother for 13 days. The calf named Krishna was sick. While undergoing treatment at the Bommiyampadi camp shed, its condition worsened and died yesterday.

The calf was noticed by NREGA labourers in Palur. It was standing in a weak condition near a stream of a private plantation. Soon C J Anand Kumar, a local resident, informed the Puthur Forest Station. The forest rangers and emergency response team reached the spot and gave water, grass and fruits to the calf.

The calf was later taken to the nearby Krishna Forest in the forest department's jeep in the afternoon and released him along with the herd of wild elephants. However, the calf returned at 6 pm in the evening. It is concluded that the herd may have abandoned the calf due to its poor health. The forest guards took over the protection of the elephant on June 16.