BENGALURU: The forest department is finding it difficult to handle cases of man-animal conflict and launch rescue operations due to a severe shortage of veterinarians. The department now has only three veterinarians on deputation. Forest officials said the department has only three veterinarians as against the sanctioned 11 posts.
The three veterinarians are working in Bandipur, Nagarahole and BRT tiger reserves. Apart from them, a veterinarian has been posted at Bannerghatta wildlife rescue centre and another at Shivamogga circle -- Dr Vinay, who is undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Bengaluru after he was attacked by a wild elephant during a rescue operation.
A senior forest official admitted to the crisis and said that all tiger reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and forest circles need veterinarians. So going by the requirement, there is a need for at least 45 veterinarians.
The department gets veterinarians on deputation from the animal husbandry department for five years. Later based on their performance and the department’s requirement, their tenure is extended or new veterinarians are received on deputation.
Vets not keen on joining forest department
“The department wants specialists but does not hire them. They invite applications for vacant posts. But now, no one applies because of work pressure. On an average, a veterinarian travels not less than 200 km a day attending to injured animals and taking part in rescue operations that stretch for weeks. They also have to send regular reports to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change,” a veterinarian told TNIE.
“Due to staff crunch, NTCA protocols on rescue, rehabilitation and postmortem are not being followed. As per NTCA guidelines, there should be one vet for every forest patch. There are no assistants to help veterinarians in case of an emergency. They are forced to take help from drivers and guards,” the veterinarian said.
“There have been instances where veterinarians from Tamil Nadu have been rushed to Karnataka,” the veterinarian said. Rajiv Ranjan, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, said despite the staff crunch, the department is managing the situation. The services of local veterinarians are used whenever required.
1:40 NURSE TO PATIENT RATIO
Victoria Hospital has 316 nurses officers working with a 1:40 nurse-to-patient ratio, said Kavitha N, nursing superintendent, meaning nurses are often overworked.