In Birsa Bhagwan’s own country, people are praying and offering medicines to save an injured elephant. 

Unlike Kerala where a pregnant wild elephant suffered a painful death after unknown miscreants offered her fruit laced with explosives, villagers of Hesadih and Rigrigram of Ranchi in Jharkhand are supporting forest department to save the life of a 12-year-old wild elephant.

About a week back local residents found an injured, limping jumbo stranded in hillock of Mahilong forest range under Silli block of Ranchi district about 70 km from district headquarters and immediately informed the forest department.

The forest department contacted senior veterinary doctor of Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park, Dr Ajay Kumar, who gave the elephant broad spectrum antibiotic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs along with proteolytic enzymes.

Villagers have joined the drive along with forest department officials and serving elephant pumpkins and bottle gourds stuffed with medicines for quick heal of injury. Besides they are offering paddy for feeding the jumbo.

They are desperate to save life of this elephant even knowing well that the same elephant had trampled two people to death last month and also damaged standing crops and houses in Rahe, Silli and Angarha blocks which are elephant corridors.

“The elephant has injury on his left leg caused when it trampled people when people hit elephants with stones to save life. After villagers informed us we started locating injured elephant and finally traced. Villagers are offering all kind of support. Though elephant and man clashes are very common in these localities, people never harm elephants. They are providing pumpkins and bottle gourds that we use to stuff medicines to cure injured elephant. We put it near the waterbody where elephant comes to quench thrust,” said RK Singh, ranger of Angarha forest.

Singh said that the treatment was started about four days back. “But for the past two days the injured elephant is not eating medicine stuffed vegetables. This may be due to reason that around four other wild elephants have come to this place. We are trying to segregate injured animal from the rest so that it starts eating medicine stuffed vegetables.  This elephant can’t walk and it is suffering from acute pain,” said Singh.

Like unfortunate elephant of Kerala, this injured elephant was also seen standing in water.

“Standing in water is the way of elephant to get relief from pain. Treating a wild elephant is itself a challenging job because there is a possibility of attack. However, this elephant is very calm,” said Singh.