‘Such compassion among our people is commendable’

Mysore/Mysuru: Timely intervention and swift action by the officers and staff of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Chamarajanagar district saved the life of a female elephant that suffered a powerful electric shock on the night of Feb. 13.

The elephant, which was between 25 to 30 years old, had accidentally come in contact with a barbed wire electric fence on a private land near the Omkar Forest Range. Due to the impact, it lost balance and fell to the ground. Though it struggled, it could not stand on its own. It was lying in a dazed and exhausted state from the night of Feb. 13 till the afternoon of Feb. 14.

The staff and veterinarians quickly intervened, providing prompt treatment to the injured elephant including administering IV fluids and recovering medicines. The treatment lasted a few hours and the pachyderm was repeatedly goaded to stand with an earth mover.

Their efforts paid off as the female elephant was able to stand up on its own and walk back into the woods on Feb. 14 evening.

The elephant was treated by Dr. Wasim Mirza and his team of veterinarians for four hours. Others in the team were Bandipur Director Dr. P. Ramesh Kumar and ACF Ravindra.

The elephant is being monitored and a complaint has been registered at a Police Station against the private farm owner.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to praise the efforts of the Bandipur staff, commending their bravery and dedication in saving the elephant’s life. “Happy to see this. Compliments to the staff at Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Such compassion among our people is commendable,” Modi wrote on his Twitter handle.

The Prime Minister wrote the lines in response to a tweet by Union Minister for Environment Forests and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, which said, “So happy to note that an electrocuted elephant, struggling for life, was saved due to prompt action by the staff of Bandipur Tiger Reserve. The female elephant has been released back into the Reserve and is being closely monitored. Our forest frontline workers are our pride.”