BHUBANESWAR: Days after an ailing makhna elephant died of septicemia in Chandaka, a tusker has now fallen ill in the wildlife sanctuary prompting authorities to intensify vigil for monitoring the herds in the protected area on city outskirts.
Forest officials from Chandaka wildlife division said a 30-year-old tusker from a five-member herd fell ill and was seen limping with difficulty inside the forest after which it was tranquilised on Friday for treatment. The tusker was found suffering from hematoma (blood clot) on leg, probably caused by injury, said an official from the division.
He said a team of wildlife experts and veterinarians from the Centre for Wildlife Health in Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) and Nandankanan Zoological Park have been treating the ailing elephant after which it has been able to move partially.
The injury, meanwhile, has sparked apprehensions over health condition of the jumbos in the wildlife sanctuary, as makhna elephant undergoing treatment for septicemia perished in the wildlife habitat recently.
Chandaka DFO Binod Acharya, however, said the division has been on alert and regularly tracking the movement of elephants in the division.
“Over 30 trackers have been mobilised across all the ranges for monitoring elephant movement and improve protection in the sanctuary,” the DFO said.