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Army rescues 35-yr-old elephant in Uttarakhand; condition remains critical
A team of 38 Indian army personnel from Bengal Engineer Group and Centre (BEG & Centre), Roorkee, are building a makeshift structure to help the elephant stand up in order to treat the animal
The army came to the rescue of a critically injured 35-year-old elephant with a fractured front leg and worn out foot pads for over a week.
A team of 38 Indian army personnel from Bengal Engineer Group and Centre (BEG & Centre), Roorkee, are building a makeshift structure to help the elephant stand up in order to treat the animal better.
Lt Col Manish Shrivastava, public relations officer defence Dehradun said on Saturday evening, Bengal Engineer Group and Centre (BEG & Centre), Roorkee, Haridwar, received a call to assist Wildlife SOS, an organisation actively rescuing animals since 1995.
“On receipt of the orders, a plan was finalised considering the best available resources and under the guidance of Brig Rajesh Singh, Commandant BEG & Centre, Roorkee, a rescue team left on Sunday morning for Ramnagar to launch the rescue mission of elephant Moti and reached the same day in evening.
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Lt Col Shrivastava said Bengal Engineer Group and Centre (BEG & Centre), Roorkee swung into action after union minister General VK Singh (retd) reached out to the army to rescue the elephant.
“The Indian Army Engineers rescue team with the help of Wildlife SOS NGO and local authorities started construction of a structure to help Moti to stand on its feet for receiving medication as its condition is critical”, he said.
Lt Col Shrivastava said the supporting structure was constructed on Monday with utmost care.
“After the structure was erected, an attempt was made to make the elephant stand up with pulleys and straps but it couldn’t take any load on its feet and was not moving much. The plan was to make the underbelly slung, however, the veterinary doctor of the NGO advised that given the condition of the elephant, it will not be able to withstand the pressure of under-slung.
“On Tuesday, a team of Wildlife SOS is coming from Delhi with a different harness and another attempt to make the animal stand will be made”
Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said “We are also grateful to the Forest Department and the custodian of Moti elephant for their cooperation and support.”
Satyanarayan said Moti’s condition is getting worse by the minute.
“I approached author Shiv Kunal Verma if the army could assist us with Moti. On February 4, Verma messaged General VK Singh has reached out to the Army Chief and the Chief of Engineers to help save the elephant. As Moti is in the foothills, the Bengal Sappers from Roorkee were told to help us”.
Dr Rahul Rajput, Wildlife SOS vet, said, “Moti’s prognosis is critical and we are doing everything possible to save him. Moti, a 35-year-old bull (male) elephant collapsed because of a long history of an untreated fracture of his front leg, severe infection in the footpad and toenails, and multiple health issues compounded by a severe lack of veterinary care. The footpad on Moti’s left limb was found to be severely damaged and shredded from the foot base and raw tissue was found exposed. Moti is being made more comfortable during these treatments by feeding him fruits and other delicious treats… Moti’s bed sores were cleaned and treated and we are trying to keep the affected areas as dry as possible.”
Prakash Arya, divisional forest officer (DFO) Terai West said, “This elephant had been brought to Ramnagar from Bihar by its owner in 2020 for mating. But the owner was murdered in 2021 in Bihar, after which the elephant was left here. Then a local wildlife enthusiast Imran Khan, was taking care. When its condition worsened in monsoon last year after falling on the side of its injured front leg, Khan approached the forest department, following which the veterinarians recommended that the elephant be treated by Wildlife SOS, Mathura. The state forest department gave permission for its transit to UP. But its condition is critical so it couldn’t be moved at present. In the meantime, NGO veterinarians came here and started its treatment.”
