New Delhi: For welfare of elephants in captivity in the National Capital Region (NCR), a free health camp was organised today at Sangam Vihar by the Project Elephant and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). Special reflectors to be fitted on to the elephants to reduce chances of road accidents were also distributed.

There are about 20 captive elephants in the NCR. Employed during social and religious functions, the pachyderms face health hazards from walking on tar roads and use of polluted water among other unnatural conditions including traffic that they face in the cities.

Organised with the aim to evaluate the health status of the elephants, the camp was attended by senior government officials including the Inspector General of Forests, the Inspector General Wildlife, Director General Wildlife, Additional Director General Wildlife, Joint Director Forests and the Chief Wildlife Warden of Delhi.

A team of two veterinarians from WTI attended to the animals at the camp. The elephants were dewormed, their eyesight checked and provided treatment for any injuries and ailments.

“Delhi is not suitable for elephants to live in; the humidity levels are much lower than required, and there is dearth of clean water and fresh air making them more prone to various ailments that they would not normally face in their natural habitat. Also, elephants require a constant supply of food, which is not catered for in their captive existence where they are fed twice or thrice a day,” says Dr NVK Ashraf, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Veterinarian, WTI. “So, regular health examination, treatment and proper husbandry measures are necessary.

”To encourage a practice of regular check-ups of the elephants, health cards were distributed to the owners.

“Using these health cards, the attending veterinarians will be able to keep track of the ailments, have a reference to medical history and ensure appropriate and timely care for their animals,” Dr Ashraf added.

Captive elephants in cities also face threats of being hit by vehicles during their movement on roads especially at night. Special reflectors developed to reduce chances of these accidents were given out to all the owners. The reflectors are strapped on to the animal, and warn vehicles approaching from behind of the elephant’s presence in the dark and reduce incidences of road hits.

WTI has been running a Captive Elephant Welfare Project since 2001. Similar health camps have been organised in a number of states including Assam, Bihar, Kerela and Rajasthan in the past.