To preserve wildlife, the Kerala Forest Department has ordered the immediate transfer and airlifting of an ailing 18-month-old female elephant calf, named Maya, from the Abhayaranyam Elephant Rehabilitation Centre in Kaprikkad to Vantara’s advanced elephant healthcare and hospital facility in Jamnagar, Gujarat. Kerala’s Chief Wildlife Warden, Dr P Pugazhendi, IFS, issued the official transfer directive after unanimous recommendations from a specialised Medical Board.
To minimise trauma during transit, Vantara arranged a specially equipped charter airlift featuring embedded life-support systems, continuous monitoring tools, emergency medication, and hydraulic lifting frameworks.
Maya’s survival story
A newborn calf was found abandoned near Kaprikkad in the Malayattoor Division on April 19, 2025, after her herd crossed the river. She was weak, severely dehydrated and had received no colostrum. When her mother did not return, she was rescued and brought to Abhayaranyam on the Chief Wildlife Warden’s direction.
With no suckling reflex, she had to be hand-reared around the clock. Assistant Forest Veterinary Officer Dr Binoy C Babu, his staff and caregivers undertook this responsibility for over a year, under a dedicated Health Monitoring Committee (Medical Board), addressing digestive, orthopaedic, skin and foot-related health challenges along the way.
Deterioration and critical diagnosis
Maya’s condition took a severe turn on 2 July 2026, when she slipped while playing, sustaining a right shoulder injury. Despite extensive therapeutic interventions—including splints, targeted physiotherapy, and high-dose calcium and vitamin D supplements – her skeletal health rapidly declined.
By late October, Maya lost the ability to stand and was restricted to a liquid diet. A comprehensive external examination conducted on 24 October 2026 by Dr Dinesh PT from the College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Pookode, revealed a fractured left humerus, multiple fractures in the right radius, severe generalised bone thinning (brittle bones), a chest infection and pressure sores resulting from prolonged recumbency.
Vantara has offered round-the-clock veterinary monitoring, comprehensive pain management, advanced diagnostics to investigate the underlying cause of her condition, hydraulic lifting systems to move and position her safely, and hydrotherapy where clinically appropriate.
Partnership built around the calf
Before the journey, Vantara veterinarians examined Maya and submitted a comprehensive treatment plan to the Chief Wildlife Warden. Her caregiver will remain by her side throughout treatment, providing continuity and familiarity in an unfamiliar environment. A Kerala Monitoring Committee, chaired by the Conservator of Forests, Social Forestry, Central Region, will review her progress. Once treatment is complete, Vantara will facilitate her return to Abhayaranyam.
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