Athagarh forest team rescues ailing elephant

BHUBANESWAR: Despite working with a depleted workforce and challenges to get medical support in the face of Covid-19 lockdown, Athagarh Forest Division stepped up to the aid of an ailing sub-adult elephant helping it to recuperate faster.

The sub-adult female elephant, separated from its herd, was spotted by the Athagarh forest team in Gopapur area under Baramba forest range on Saturday noon with its lower-mandible fractured.
In spite of the fear of corona spread, the team led by Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sasmita Lenka rescued the injured elephant and called the local veterinary doctor for treatment. The team also took help of the experts at Centre for Wildlife Health at OUAT for treatment of the pachyderm.

“As there was fracture and swelling in its lower-mandible, the four-year-old elephant was unable to eat anything. It was given intravenous vitamin and fluid,” Lenka said.

The forest team, which is working at 10 per cent of its strength due to restriction imposed by the State Government to check spread of Covid-19, initially struggled to arrange food for the female elephant. It is also facing difficulties in sending samples of swab, blood, stool and urine for test to the Centre for Wildlife Health.

Following social distancing protocol was also a challenge for the officials and staff of the division in such a situation. The odds notwithstanding, the team managed to deal with the task and facilitated proper treatment to the ailing elephant. The DFO said the health condition of the ailing elephant improved on Sunday.

“We are now feeding mashed banana and providing glucose to the elephant,” Lenka said and added that she has coordinated with the local IIC and the samples for test will be sent to OUAT on Monday.
With the elephant unable to move, a transit camp has been set up at the place where the elephant was rescued to guard it.