Injured wild tusker captured for treatment without tranquilizer, watch viral video

Chennai: The capture of wild elephants for treatment or to protect them from harm’s way is an extremely dangerous and complex procedure. In what senior forest officials regard as a first, an injured wild tusker has been loaded onto a truck and taken into a shelter, all without a tranquilizer shot. This two day-operation was successfully completed in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Nilgiris on Thursday (June 17).

The nearly 20-year old wild tusker had a wound on its rear that is said to have been caused as a result of being attacked by another tusker, more than a year ago.

Doctors attached with the forest department had been treating the elephant from a distance by offering it fruits embedded with medicines, to accelerate healing. As of December last year, officials had noticed that the elephant was healing well.

Around April-May this year, the elephant was seen in a condition where its wound had severely intensified and also caused some issues in its leg. In early June, as oral medication didn’t yield results, doctors were of the opinion that the elephant had to be captured and treated.

On obtaining necessary approvals, measures were taken to capture the tusker. Using seven ‘Kumki’ elephants (trained captive elephants), the tusker was taken to a spot for temporary treatment following which it was moved onto a truck. The elephant was then transported from the Gudalur area to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, a distance of about 8kms.

Watch viral video here:

The injured tusker was put into a ‘kraal’ - a wooden log enclosure made for treating elephants. According to the expert vets who assessed the elephant, there is a chronic wound in the tail region and swelling in the left hind leg.

KK Kaushal, Field Director, MTR said the elephant’s health status was being monitored and that it would be intensively treated in the coming days. While expressing hope of its recovery, he added that it would certainly be prolonged and intensive care.

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