A five-month-old orphaned elephant calf brought to Theppakkadu Elephant Camp in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the Nilgiris district a fortnight ago, died in the early hours of Friday.
The calf which fell into a farm well, was brought to the camp, after Forest department failed to unite it with its mother in Dharmapuri and handed over to the Oscar-winning documentary "The Elephant Whisperers" couple Bomman and Bellie on March 16.
The health condition of the calf suddenly deteriorated reportedly due to dysentery late Thursday night and was under treatment and was given glucose after consulting an expert at Vandalur Zoo, Forest department sources said.
However, the calf died in the early hours without responding to treatment, the sources said, adding the reason for the death will be known after post-mortem.
