PARADIP: Pictures and videos of deer, civets and peacocks roaming on city roads may have led people to believe that nature is thriving due to the lockdown but for some animals, this couldn’t be further from truth.
As the tourism industry bears the brunt of severe coronavirus restrictions, animals who used to entertain tourists at beaches have been abandoned to their fate.
On Friday, members of Animal Welfare Trust rescued an emaciated camel, abandoned by its owner, from Paradip area and shifted it to OUAT hospital, Bhubaneswar for treatment.
The animal’s owner reportedly fled the area after unable to make ends meet due to the lockdown. The camel was engaged at Paradip sea beach to give joy rides to tourists.
Sources said during summer every year, camels are brought from Rajasthan and Gujarat for entertainment of tourists visiting the beach. The owners usually charge Rs 20 to Rs 30 per ride. In the off season, they take the camels to villages where it is easy to collect paddy and other food grains for the animals apart from money. Since the last few days, the camel, reduced to skeleton, was seen moving in different slum areas in search of food.
While its nose was torn, the fur was full of sores. Locals said the camel was abandoned by its owner who failed to provide food or arrange money for its treatment during the lockdown. Due to ban on travelling and gathering at public places, no tourists turned up at the beach. With his livelihood paralysed, the camel’s owner fled from the locality leaving the animal to its fate.
Founder of Animal Welfare Trust Purbai Patra said after obtaining permission from forest officials, a seven-member team with help of local police and fire personnel rescued the camel and made arrangements to transport it to OUAT hospital. “The animal will be treated at the hospital for seven days following which plans will be made to rehabilitate it at a safe place,” Patra added. Sources said apart from the camel, a horse, which was also used as tourist attraction at the beach, has been abandoned by its owner. The animal is roaming in the port town in search of food.