The elephants working for the forest department by way of helping the personnel in the anti-poaching efforts and patrolling duties need regular monitoring especially of their health. And doing precisely this was the non-government organisation Wildlife SOS.
The NGO in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department conducted an elephant health and treatment camp at Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
The medical camp conducted by an experienced veterinary team from Wildlife SOS conducted a health check-up of a dozen working elephants during which these animals were provided medical support and assistance. During this camp, Devaprasad J, Field Director of PTR and Dr. Akhilesh Mishra, Senior Veterinary Officer of the reserve were present.
Apart from attending to the pachyderms the Wildlife SOS team also organised a training session for the elephant handlers and mahouts. During this session issues related to husbandry, elephant care, welfare and health management were addressed. They were instructed about some specific aspects including regular foot care, toenail trimming to avoid foot abscess and prevent lameness.
PTR or Pench National Park is one of the premier tiger reserves in the country and it has the singular distinction of being the first one to straddle across two States, namely Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. It boasts of Royal Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, dhole, jungle cat, small Indian civet, wolves, sloth bear, striped hyena and other animals.
Highlighting the importance of such camps, Dr. S. Ilayaraja, Deputy Director-Veterinary Services, Wildlife SOS said: “Such health camps to provide medical support to working elephants are essential for their well-being and protection.”
The NGO has been holding such camps to provide high-quality treatment and veterinary care to working elephants across India. Recently, one such was held at Orang National Park in Assam in collaboration with the Assam Forest Department and Padma Shri Dr. K.K Sarma. Forty elephants underwent medical check-up in this camp besides also availing of health care support. Their body measurements were also taken and anti-rabies vaccines administered.
Talking about these events, Kartick Satyanarayan, CEO of Wildlife SOS said: “These camps are done in collaboration with the forest department and are a platform to educate elephant keepers and ensure long term care for the elephants. At the same time such camps create awareness about elephant protection and conservation.”
Also read: Wildlife NGO opens care centres for aged and injured elephants
