KUPPADI:In a first, the Forest Department has introduced an ambulance service for injured wild elephants and other pachyderms which stray into the human settlements.
The responsibilities of the new service belong to the elephant squad which was made a part of the Sulthan Bathery forest range office in Kuppadi in 2014.
However, the Forest Department officials say that the service can be made available in other forest divisions in the state during emergency situations. The service was launched as a result a proposal submitted by the department to the government.
“Primarily, the elephant squad was launched with a vision to reducing man-animal conflict in the district. The ambulance service will be used to ferry Kumki elephants to drive away wild pachyderms which stray into the human settlements back to forest,” said Kuppadi Forest Range Officer, Sudheer Naroth.
The ambulance service will also be used to ferry injured pachyderms and other injured or captured big-cats from forests to veterinary hospitals.
“The new ambulance service was a necessity in Wayanad as incidents of man-animal conflicts are on the rise,” said field officer of WCS, Arul Badusha.