Golaghat, Assam, 31 March 2020: Residents around Bijuli Reserve Forest were greatly concerned about the presence of a wild elephant in the vicinity, especially during the nationwide lockdown when people were supposed to remain at home. Wildlife veterinarian Samshul Ali from the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) attended to the call from the forest department.

“It was a female adult, about 35 years old, limping because of an old fracture in a big bone of the right limb,” Ali informed. Observers believed that the cause of the limp may have been a bullet injury which was negated by the veterinarian upon examining the elephant. A few visible injuries were treated with medication after chemical sedation of the elephant. Some oral medication was also administered.

Bhaskar Deka, DFO Golaghat, Uttam Saikia, Honorary Wildlife Warden of Kaziranga NP and assisting staff from the Assam Forest Department were on-site during the entire process.

The forest monitoring team was happy to report that the animal followed the herd from which it was aloof for a brief period. The latest information from the field states that the elephant has far better reflexes after medication and had entered deep into the forest with the herd.

The wildlife rescue centre CWRC that WTI runs with the Assam Forest Department is supported by IFAW and extends its expertise across the state through Mobile Veterinary Service Units that rescues displaced wildlife and treats fauna ex situ.