After coming across several incidents of reuniting and raising orphaned elephant calves, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department has finally compiled the expertise of their staff and veterinarians into a document, laying down the standard operating procedure (SOP).
The Standard Operating Procedure on Orphaned Elephant Management, released by the department recently, is a first-of-its-kind initiative by any State in the country, says A. Udhayan, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Director of the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation, Chennai.
Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests, Tamil Nadu, formed an eight-member committee, headed by Mr. Udhayan, in April this year to prepare the SOP and a handbook for maintenance of camp elephants.
