Coimbatore: 20-year-old injured elephant treated by Forest Department for over 6 months dies falling in slimy mud
Coimbatore: The 20-year-old injured elephant near Mettupalayam that was treated by Forest Department for over 6 months dies falling in slimy mud.
The male elephant was spotted with swollen left foreleg and difficulty walking by the forest workers at the Sundampatti Beat Nellithurai Reserve Forest in Mettupalayam in the mid of March this year.
A veterinarian went into the dense forest on March 24 and examined the wound on the elephant's leg from a distance. As per the doctor's recommendation, powdered pills were placed inside fruits and kept in the path of the elephant in the forest. Surveillance cameras were installed and the elephant's movements were monitored.
A team of 5 doctors was formed underVeterinarian Sukumar. The medical team that visited the wild elephant decided to treat it with anesthetic and said that it was impossible to monitor the wild elephant in forests and that it could only be treated if it reached the plains.
Two Kumki elephants were brought from Topslip and Sadivayal to prevent any untoward incidents during the treatment. It was decided that the elephant would be injected with anesthetic as soon as it came to the plains, as it was difficult to treat it in hilly and rocky terrain.
The anti-poaching and forest guards who were on patrol informed the higher authorities that the injured elephant had died in an area 3 km from Nellithurai. The elephant had slipped and fell into slimy mud due to rain in the Nilgiris and Mettupalayam yesterday. It is said that it was sick and could not get up due to the injuries in its legs. There were also injuries in its skin and abdomen. The forest department said there were also wounds caused by a fight with another elephant. According to reports an autopsy will be conducted on the dead elephant in the presence of the forest department.
Forest activists have said that this year alone 20 elephants have died and they accused the lethargy of the forest department as the reason behind it. They said, "This loss could have been prevented if the elephant had been treated on time. Though they set up a team to save the elephant, summoned Kumki elephants, used drone cameras and surveillance cameras, we still couldn't save the elephant's life. A special committee should be set up to investigate the deaths of the elephants."
The male elephant was spotted with swollen left foreleg and difficulty walking by the forest workers at the Sundampatti Beat Nellithurai Reserve Forest in Mettupalayam in the mid of March this year.
A veterinarian went into the dense forest on March 24 and examined the wound on the elephant's leg from a distance. As per the doctor's recommendation, powdered pills were placed inside fruits and kept in the path of the elephant in the forest. Surveillance cameras were installed and the elephant's movements were monitored.
A team of 5 doctors was formed underVeterinarian Sukumar. The medical team that visited the wild elephant decided to treat it with anesthetic and said that it was impossible to monitor the wild elephant in forests and that it could only be treated if it reached the plains.
Two Kumki elephants were brought from Topslip and Sadivayal to prevent any untoward incidents during the treatment. It was decided that the elephant would be injected with anesthetic as soon as it came to the plains, as it was difficult to treat it in hilly and rocky terrain.
The anti-poaching and forest guards who were on patrol informed the higher authorities that the injured elephant had died in an area 3 km from Nellithurai. The elephant had slipped and fell into slimy mud due to rain in the Nilgiris and Mettupalayam yesterday. It is said that it was sick and could not get up due to the injuries in its legs. There were also injuries in its skin and abdomen. The forest department said there were also wounds caused by a fight with another elephant. According to reports an autopsy will be conducted on the dead elephant in the presence of the forest department.
Forest activists have said that this year alone 20 elephants have died and they accused the lethargy of the forest department as the reason behind it. They said, "This loss could have been prevented if the elephant had been treated on time. Though they set up a team to save the elephant, summoned Kumki elephants, used drone cameras and surveillance cameras, we still couldn't save the elephant's life. A special committee should be set up to investigate the deaths of the elephants."