Elephants are majestic giants that live peacefully in the forest. However, like humans elephants can also fall prey to natural parasites and suffer from disease. Sometimes, elephants also fall victim to inhumane activities perpetrated by people. But the difference is when they get ill, elephants cannot express their discomfort like humans. Most of the time, when they can no longer bear the pain and survive in the forest, elephants come in to the vicinity of human to seek help. This is such an instance. This poor elephant was spotted by the village collapsed in a paddy field bordering to the village. He seems struggling with pain, lacking energy to lift his body.
The news about the elephant spread in the village and lot of villagers gathered around to help the elephant and started caring the elephant with great sympathy
They offered some easy digestive foods to the elephant like soft banana stems and watermelons. But the elephant is not showing much interest in eat any food.
The wildlife team had been alerted about the elephant and they reached the spot immediately to see how they can help this gentle giant. After some inspection, the wildlife officers decide to administer saline to the elephant before going in to any other steps of treatment. They cleaned and disinfected the outer earflap of the elephant and connected the cannula to start off. This will help the weak animal to become hydrated and energized. To expedite the energy boosting process, the vets add up a dose of dextrose to the saline. Painkillers and multivitamins were also mixed in to saline and administered through IV.They connect another IV catheter to double the speed of saline flow. As soon as the saline runs out, they replace it with more.
Meanwhile the veterinary surgeon carefully observe the elephant and found that there are no visible signs of external injuries caused by gunshots, jaw exploding traps or any other man made deterrents. He found edema in submandibular gland and ventral abdomen. So the veterinarian suspected that the elephant is suffering from parasitic infection, likely the liver fluke disease.
Now the elephant is slightly moving its body showing signs of gaining some energy. The veterinary surgeon suggests that it is better to take the elephant to a rehabilitation center and provide the necessary treatment for the live fluke infection. However, keeping the elephant in muddy ground for an extended period may worsen its health further. Therefore now the villagers and the wildlife officers are attempting to extricate the elephant from muddy ground. While the wildlife officers and villagers are busy on the ground trying to haul the elephant, let’s get an idea about the liver fluke disease.
Liver flukes are parasitic flatworms that impact the bile duct and liver, potentially leading to liver fluke disease. Fasciola jacksoni is the causative agent of this disease. The long standing infection can cause to slow death to the animal.
The villagers and wildlife officers got together and give their fullest effort to haul the elephant. But the force was not sufficient. The elephant didn’t move. But now he seems to have energize enough to raise the head. The wildlife officers planned to bring a transport vehicle to the field and load the elephant on the spot to minimize exhaustion of the elephant. They hired a tractor from nearby village. They laid a bed of dry hay on the trailer of the tractor to create a comfortable surface for the elephant, minimizing discomfort during transportation.
With the assistance and commitment of wildlife officers and villagers, the elephant was successfully trans located to an elephant rehabilitation center. There, he is receiving the necessary treatment for healing the parasitic infection. Triclobendazole proved to be effective in eradicating the liver fluke infection, and it was administered to the elephant in oral doses.
The elephant received routine saline treatment at the rehabilitation center.As a result, the young elephant has made a significant recovery, gaining energy and vitality. The elephant is still receiving treatment and care in the rehabilitation center. There’s a marked improvement in his condition. He will be released back to the forest when the infection is completely healed and the elephant is strong enough to survive on his own in the forest.
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