M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Nov. 27: An adult elephant has been found limping in the south division of the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) over the last few days.
“It’s right hind leg ‘appears to be wounded or injured’ as its discomfort with the right hind leg is too evident,” said the Deputy Director (South division) of PTR, Mukesh Kumar.
The elephant is in the Maromar side of PTR’s south division and is not alone. One healthier elephant has joined it. The duo is on an aimless ‘wild patrol’ probably in search of herbs or shrubs that may provide relief to the limping elephant.
The jumbo is in a highly irritable mood and is not allowing any trackers to come near to find out the reason behind its limp.
“We did place lots of bananas interspersed with vet antibiotics in its route, hoping he will relishes it. But unfortunately, the bananas could not tempt this ailing elephant anymore,” said Mukesh Kumar.
“Since this limping elephant now has a partner, if the bananas were eaten even then we could not have surmise if they were eaten by the limping elephant or by its companion,” he added.
Sources said about four or five years ago a similar case of sick and wandering elephant was found in the tiger reserve where medicines in water melons were tried, but the sick jumbo had not even cast an eye on it.
Treating wild life is a daunting task. It has to be sedated first before any medication to begin with. The sedation comes with tranquilizing gun, gunner having expertise in dart as any carelessness can prove fatal for the sick, wounded or injured wild life.
In the case of this elephant, a schedule 1 animal, the permission to sedate it has to be obtained from the highest hierarchy the principal chief conservator of forest wild life Jharkhand vis a vis from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
“We have immediately informed the NTCA in this regard and information about this elephant has been sent to the forest, environment and climate change department government of Jharkhand,” Mukesh Kumar informed.
Field director and chief conservator of PTR forest, Kumar Ashutosh said, “As the elephant in distress has been found to be no tusker, we have reasons to believe the wound or the injuries to it could be due to its own mishap like falling in any ditch or some hard blunt wooden piece getting into his leg.”
Trackers have been asked to keep a tab on this elephant for further course of action.
