THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The history of domesticating elephants in the country can be traced back to about 6000 BCE on the basis of rock paintings. However, the act of tranquillising unruly elephants is only 45 years old. On the 45th anniversary of elephant immobilisation, Dr Jacob V Cheeran, 81, one of senior-most vets in the country who created history by tranquillising the elephant, ‘Kizhakke Veetil Damodaran’, when it ran amok in Palakkad on April 22 in 1976, shares his experience.
Q. When did you feel that a tranquilliser dart has to be developed to tame elephants?
It was during the 1970s that we discussed a method of darting an elephant. At the time, unruly elephants were tamed by mahouts or crowd using crude methods like stoning by Kerala police for forest personnel. Jumbos would suffer serious injuries or even die due to this.
Q. Did you design the tranquilliser device or bring it from somewhere else?
My professor and I, who searched for a device here, got it from Georgia. The remote injection was developed under a privately-funded project by the School of Pharmacy of University of Georgia. The person who funded the project was Harold C Palmer. It was his property, but he started marketing it for stray dog control and used nicotine in the device. After weeks-long correspondence and securing clearance from the DRDA and explosives director, we placed an order to import it and it reached Madras.
Q. Tells us about your first experience of immobilising an elephant?
The elephant, ‘Kizhakke Veetil Damodaran’, was the first jumbo in the world to be darted by the tranquilliser. When it ran amok at Thirunellayi in Palakkad, I went there with the tranquilliser gun.There were two charges — one to propel the syringe from the gun and another to inject the drug. The use of the syringe charge was not clear. However, when I pulled the trigger, I smelled the strong odour of nicotine and realised it was the wrong way to put the syringe charge. I darted the elephant in my second try. The animal was only partly down and, So I had to give it another, lower-intensity dose. It was a success. It then became history as it was the first time an elephant was immobilised by a tranquilliser.
Q. How many elephants have you immobilised since?
(Laughs) It’s difficult to calculate. At first, I used to record every incident, but stopped doing so later. I think over 500 jumbos were immobilised in my four-decade-long career. After I immobilised 100 elephants, the state government honoured me, K C Panicker and R K Kaimal.
Q. Were fellow vets inspired by you in the art of tranquilizing?
I trained hundreds of vets. Some took it as a vocation while others learnt it for academic purposes. Tranquillising elephants requires shrewd planning. The health, age, weight and other physiological condition of the target elephant should be studied before applying the dose. Only a dedicated aspirant can excel in this.
Q. Any bad experience?
I was sued initially, when a darted elephant ran amok through the premises of various houses and destroyed valuables kept there.
Q. Was the government supportive of the attempt of importing the device and experimenting on elephants?
It was. I only faced legal issues while importing the devise. When the cargo reached the Air cargo complex, Madras, the appraiser refused to clear the consignment saying that the gun is a prohibited item. Plus, the word ‘projector’ comes under cinematograph and asked me to give any name other than gun and projector. I said ‘syringe catapult’. He agreed and asked me to mention its use. I said, ‘It is an instrument to inject an animal from a distance’ and he cleared the items. The main challenge then was bringing the device to Kerala as it was during the Emergency. When the train left Arconum in Tamil Nadu, I couldn’t sleep. When I reached Thrissur a night later, I heaved a sigh of relief.