The condition of an elephant that suffered a grievous wound in its mouth at Attappady last week continues to be critical on Sunday. The elephant was found with an injury apparently caused by an explosion about a week ago at Veettikkundu Chavadiyur area of Attappady in Agali range of Mannarkkad forest division in Kerala.
A team of veterinary doctors and forest officials led by Forest Veterinary Officer Dr. Arun Zacharia and Agali Forest Range Officer K.T. Udayan attended to the tuskless male elephant after tranquilising it on Saturday. The team administered antibiotics and analgesics to the wounded animal.
Dr. Zacharia said the wound was deep, and the internal injury was extensive. He added that the doctors would observe the animal for another day before the next step. Dr. Zacharia and Mr. Udayan expressed concern that the elephant might choke while drinking or eating in such a condition. They said it was too early to comment about the healing of the wounds inside its pharyngeal region.
There was cautious optimism when the elephant drank some water. However, it rejected much of the food given by the veterinarians and appeared weak due to lack of intake.
It was suspected that the elephant suffered the injury while it chewed on an explosive. Forest officials suspect the injury took place while the animal was in Tamil Nadu forest area. The full-grown elephant was known to have caused a lot of destruction in the Sholayur area over the last couple of years. However, it had not killed any human being. The animal was nicknamed ‘Bulldozer’ because it had reportedly destroyed around two dozen houses since 2018.
