Illegally kept in Tripura, ailing elephant and her calf rescued to Gujarat's 'Vantara'

AGARTALA: After being illegally kept and severely neglected for several weeks, an ailing elephant ‘Pratima’ and her calf ‘Manik Lal’ in Tripura sent for intensive treatment and care in ‘Vantara’ in Gujarat after the persistent intervention of an ardent animal lover and PETA India.

‘Go Green and Help Stray Animals’ organisation General Secretary Kuntala Sinha said that after witnessing a viral social media post, she went to the house of the ailing elephant’s owner in north Tripura’s Kailashahar and found that the 52-year old elephant was critically ill and needs serious and long-time medical treatments.

“I approached the Tripura Forest and Wildlife Department but they initially did not respond properly. Then I approached PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) India, and MP Maneka Sanjay Gandhi,” Sinha told IANS.

Sinha said that she through her lawyer Paramita Sen also approached the Tripura High Court for its intervention.

“After High Court’s and Maneka Gandhi’s intervention, the Tripura Forest Department officials became active. The High Court directed the Forest Department to take appropriate steps for the ailing elephant’s medical treatment,” said Sinha, a devoted animal lover.

In the meantime, she approached the ‘Vantara’ authority, which quickly sent a three-member team to Kailashahar (under Unakoti district) and after a series of consultations with all concerned including the elephant owner, the Jumbo and her calf was taken to ‘Vantara’ in Gujarat’s Jamnagar earlier this week for intensive medical treatment and care.

'Vantara', an ambitious wildlife preservation project launched by Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani’s younger son Anant Ambani, is all set to become the world’s largest zoo and rehabilitation centre.

PETA sources said that enquiries revealed that ‘Pratima’ and her calf were being kept illegally by an individual at Kailashahar in northern Tripura.

“Veterinary examination revealed that Pratima was emaciated and had sustained multiple abscesses on her body. Her left foreleg was swollen, and she was unable to bear weight on it and was limping. She also had sustained multiple injuries to her abdomen and was suffering from a lack of muscle mass that had caused her backbone to become arched,” a PETA statement said.

In consideration of her significant long-term veterinary needs and her calf’s bond with and reliance on her, the elephants are now en route to the state-of-the-art elephant hospital at ‘Vantara’.

“PETA India thanks the Tripura Forest Department and the high power committee of the court for their prompt action in arranging specialised veterinary care for this elephant and for making sure that the mother-calf bond was not broken by separating the pair,” said PETA India Director of Advocacy Projects Khushboo Gupta.

“PETA India is so happy that neglected Pratima and her beloved calf will finally find refuge under the care of experts at Vantara.”

The PETA statement said that the individual who was keeping ‘Pratima’ and her calf did not have an ownership certificate for the elephants in violation of Section 42 of The Wild Life (Protection) Act (WPA), 1972, thereby making the possession of the animal illegal under Section 51 of the WPA, 1972.

Captive elephants like 'Pratima' are typically controlled with weapons and kept chained on concrete.

“Elephants used for logging, rides, ceremonies, and other purposes become frustrated and sometimes lash out and kill mahouts or other humans. Vantara does not use weapons on or chain the elephants it houses,” PETA stated.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)