Wildlife activists in Coimbatore have raised concern over the future of the elephant calf whose treatment by veterinary surgeons of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department has begun. They alleged that the male calf captured at Mankarai near here would be tamed as a kumki.

The three-and-a-half-year-old elephant calf was roaming in forest fringes in Mankarai and Thadagam and was captured using tranquilisers in an operation that lasted less than four hours.

The calf was transported to the Chadivayal elephant camp near Siruvani, where it is currently being treated for wounds in the mouth. It was tied to a tree using ropes and the help of kumki Sujay on Wednesday.

Once the effects of the drug wore off, the calf was seen rushing at people when they went near it.

District Forest Officer S. Ramasubramaniam on Tuesday said the calf was to be treated for the infections in the mouth adding that its future would be decided based on directions from Chennai.

He also said that the calf was reportedly causing trouble to farmers and villagers in Mankarai by entering houses and damaging property. Farmer associations in the vicinity had planned a march to the DFO office on Wednesday seeking a check on the rising man-animal conflict in the region. However, the protest march was called off after the calf was captured.

Wildlife activists have claimed that the `infection theory is only a lie’ and the animal was captured owing to pressure from farmers.

“The department has treated animals with severe wounds earlier and they were sent back to the forest. Plans were there to tame this calf into a kumki and not let it go back into the wild,” said one of the activists on condition of anonymity. Department officials, however, refused to comment on this.