Efforts on to save critically ill 70-yr-old captive elephant in Tamil Nadu
COIMBATORE: Veterinarians are trying their best to save Saratha, a 70-year-old female elephant, that fell ill in the Kozhikamuthi camp in Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) on Tuesday.
Sources said the elephant collapsed after returning from a nearby field where she had gone to graze on Tuesday evening. Veterinary assistant surgeon E Vijayaraghavan and A Sukumar Coimbatore forest veterinary officer are treating the female jumbo.
With the help of a team led by the Ulanthy forest range officer M Sundaravel, they placed sand bags to support her and engaged a kumki to lift her. However, the effort failed as Saratha was too weak to stand on her own.
“We have given 13 bottles of glucose, along with painkillers, multi-vitamin mineral fluids through Intravenous injection (IV). However there is no improvement. We also provided sugarcane, water melon and banana but she did not consume them. In fact, she did not even drink water,” said a forest department official.
“Usually, if an elephant falls down, the animal will revive on their own. However, Saratha is feeble due to her age. We are trying our best to save her,” said the official.