Bantala: Cases of injured and unwell elephants dying in want of treatment is nothing new in Odisha. Another pachyderm in Angul district will meet the similar fate if its treatment is not taken care of soon enough.
The sick jumbo was first spotted near the mutt of Kantamegh village under Bantala range in Angul district April 21. Local residents have alleged that the department is yet to start treating the ailing male.
“After spotting the elephant we had informed the Forest department. Officials visited the area and drove it away towards Satkosia sanctuary without giving the animal any treatment,” alleged locals.
Three days ago the elephant was again spotted near Balang village under Bantala range. Veterinary doctors provided some treatment to it only at that time after much delay.
There is a wound on its right side foreleg and its left side hind leg is also swollen. Those apart, it has a wound on its left side lower abdomen and its eyes seem to have gone for worse.
The residents of Balang, Talasira and Jokubu villages, who have been giving fruits like mangoes and jackfruits to the animal, have alleged that the Forest department doesn’t seem too serious about the pachyderm’s degrading health condition. “We are sorry to see that the elephant is not getting proper treatment,” they rued.
However, some of the department staffs are seen camping near the elephant since last three days.
“Had the elephant been treated properly earlier, it would possibly have been cured and roaming around,” some animal lovers and environmentalists pointed out.
When contacted, Angul divisional forest officer (DFO) V Kartik said, “The elephant is an aged one. The wounds it bears have gone into the deep. Without tranquilising the animal, veterinary experts are treating it since tranquilisation might prove fatal,” he said.
Satkosia DFO P Ramswami said that he was aware about the ailing elephant and assured that its treatment would be started soon.
PNN