Rescued elephant calf recovering but still has diarrhoea

PUBLISHED : 3 Aug 2026 at 12:36 WRITER: Online Reporters KANCHANABURI - The starving elephant calf rescued near a fast-flowing stream in Sai Yok district is recovering well from her injuries and is reacting more to her surroundings, but still suffers from diarrhoea and her condition is being closely monitored by veterinarians. Previous reports misidentified the calf as male. An update on Sunday evening corrected this, saying the wild elephant infant was a female, about one week old and weighed 62.8 kilogrammes, acccording to Protected Area Regional Office 3 (Ban Pong). She was first seen abandoned near a fast-flowing stream at Village 5 of Mae Nam Noi in tambon Sai Yok on Thursday, and rescued and placed in an intensive treatment facility on Friday. Officials reported her condition on Saturday as critical, with multiple injuries to her body. As of Sunday, the injuries to her mouth and trunk were less inflamed. Vets were treating her wounds twice a day and she was able to drink milk more easily. Since being rescued she had consumed more than 7.6 litres, which was "a satisfying amount", the announcement said. However, the calf’s urine was still dark yellow and she had diarrhoea, but without a foul smell. The vet team is closely monitoring her condition. (continues below) A caretaker feeds milk to the elephant calf in Kanchanaburi. She has begun showing more interest in her surroundings, being able to actively walk around with her veterinarian caretakers. The team washes the calf down daily with turmeric and galangal juice, to help heal the wounds, soothe skin irritation and deter parasites, the announcement said. Sai Yok National Park chief Peera Puangmalee said the treatment and nutrients for the calf would be planned and adapted around the results of health tests. The elephant calf stands 64 centimetres at the shoulder. Her body length from the shoulder to the base of her tail is 64cm and her chest has a circumference of 100cm. Her front leg circumference is 38cm and hind leg circumference 34cm. The youngster's trunk is 30cm long and her tail 40cm, and her ears are 15cm wide. The calf's front feet each have five toenails and each hind foot has four. The calf's front feet each have five toenails and each hind foot has four. She was smaller than normal for a newborn elephant, the vet team said. Caretakers wash the calf with turmeric and galangal juice to heal her wounds, soothe skin irritation and deter parasites.