Boko, 18 February: A wild elephant has been stuck in Rajapara area under Bondapara Forest Range in the West Kamrup Forest Division for the last four weeks.

Villagers from the Kukurmara and nearby areas identified that the elephant was injured and couldn’t even move properly. So they informed the matter to the range officer of the Bondapara Range Office Rimpi Borah.

“We have continuously monitored the elephant and its activity,” said Pankaj Daimary from Kukurmara village.

Daimary alleges, “Although we informed the matter to the forest official, they didn’t come to the place and check the conditions of the elephant.”

“After that, we felt bad to see the suffering of the elephant and informed the higher authorities and that is the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of West Kamrup Forest Division.” added Daimary.

Later, on last 8 February of this year, famous as the “elephant doctor” of Assam, veterinarian Dr Kushal Knowar Sharma, who was awarded the Padma Shree in 2020 along with a medical team and forest team led by the DFO, West Division Dimpi Bora reached the Rajapara area.

On that day, the elephant had moved to the jungle area, so the forest and veterinarian team searched in the jungle for the whole day along with the local public from Rajapara, Sonalipara, Kukurmara, Dekapara villages. But the whole team failed to find the elephant and they left the place.

DFO Bora said, “forest department observed the elephant but left the place in the night. The elephant is a female adult. We will search for the elephant and give her treatment to heal.”

“But surprisingly, the Forest department did not do anything for the elephant from that day, but our villagers spotted the elephant many times and according to them the elephant is very weak due to the lack of food” said Pankaj Daimary.

“Now it’s about one month, the elephant is still suffering from pain, as she can not walk due to her injuries in right leg and other injuries in her body.” said Bhawananda Basumatary from Kukurmara village.

He also expressed his regret, “we feel very bad for the elephant despite the fact that we regularly suffer from wild elephant attacks, even many times our villagers have lost their lives and property too in such attacks.”

“Now we are trying to feed the elephant. As she cannot move , she stands near a paddy field to drink water for many days and she eats all the food items like sugarcane, vegetables, bananas etc which we gave to her.” added Basumatary.

An anonymous youth expressed his anger, “Why the state government failed to give her treatment, even after all the facilities available in Guwahati and the spot is only 2 hrs far from the city.”

He also alleges, “Forest staff can do one thing only to collect money from the sand laden trucks and from local youth who have tractors, excavators. They can’t even stop the illegal activities like charcoal smuggling, wood logs smuggling and other such things.”

Meghali Rabha, 73 no. Pachim Bekeli Gaon Panchayat President said that she also wrote to the Director of the Assam State Veterinary Department to take immediate action.

Meanwhile, she also said that people of the area complained to me again and again for treatment, because the elephant had been suffering from pain for around the last 4 weeks.

“If the forest department failed to find the injured elephant, they should search by drone and when they find it, then they can easily start treatment of the elephant.” added Rabha.

Asking the matter to the DFO Dimpy Bora on Saturday, she replied that the doctor Kushal Knowar Sharma is in Patna and he will come for treatment on Tuesday.

“But we observed her motions and conditions and took videos and sent them to the Guwahati State Zoo Doctors and to Dr. Kushal Knowar Sharma every morning and evening. So they gave us advice to improve her health. Even we gave her medicine and antibiotics mixed in food items.” Added DFO Bora.

DFO Dimpi Bora said that Dr. Kushal Knowar Sharma told her that the elephant’s right leg might have fractured, but not in serious conditions, otherwise she cannot move. She is very weak and an adult too. So the only option is to treat her by giving medicine and antibiotics.
She also added, “On Sunday a medical team from the State Zoo will visit and check the health conditions.”