Forest teams nurse injured wild elephant back to health

Alipurduar: In the deep forests of the Buxa Tiger Reserve, a wild elephant was nursed back to health by a team of forest officials along with a team of Forest department veterinarians.

For two consecutive days in the deep forest, the elephant was tranquilised, tamed and treated according to specific protocols. The elephant is now in good health. The Forest department’s team will keep a close watch on the elephant for the next 15 to 20 days.

According to the Forest department, a few days ago, forest workers from the South Raidak range of the Buxa Tiger Reserve spotted the injured wild elephant while patrolling. The elephant had a swollen leg around the knee area and was having difficulty walking.

In most cases, injured elephants tend to venture close to human settlements in search of food, posing a significant threat to residents. Upon learning about the incident, the officials of the Buxa Tiger Reserve decided to promptly treat

the elephant.

The elephant had been spotted wandering near the Nararthali Bill of the Buxa Tiger Project since Monday. The incident was reported to the Forest department veterinarian Liton Paul, who, along with the tranquilisation team and the medical team from the Forest department and ‘Kunki’ (tame elephant of the Forest department) tranquilised the elephant and initiated treatment.

After successful treatment, the elephant has regained its health and has been seen roaming in the South Raidak range area since Tuesday afternoon.

Debashish Sharma, Deputy Field Director of the Buxa Tiger Reserve (East), stated: “In the coming days, we will administer medication to the elephant in a special manner when it comes near our watchtowers. Hopefully, the swelling and pain in her leg will completely subside within the next 7 days. This incident holds significant importance in terms of conservation and mitigating human-elephant conflicts.”

Apurba Sen, Field Director of the Buxa Tiger Reserve, commended the forest officials, forest staff and the medical team for their efforts.