Mother elephant being shipped to Ambani zoo in Gujarat critically ill, claims PETA

-By Sivasish Thakur

Guwahati, May 6: The shipment of the elephant whose picture had gone viral in social media has taken a new twist with revelations that the animal being headed for the Ambani-owned zoo-cum-rehab facility at Jamnagar, Gujarat is 'critically ill'.

While a statement from animal activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) asserts that the animal which was being transported to Gujarat together with its calf was seriously ill, what begs the question is why the elephant with multiple ailments is being made to endure the rigours of a journey of several thousand kilometres in a cramped truck in hot weather conditions.

"The ideal course of action should have been to get the elephant treated locally or at the facility of the College of Veterinary Science, Assam, or at the Assam State Zoo. We have expertise to deal with such cases. The prolonged travel for a severely-ill elephant amid the heat on the highways can be fatal," a Forest official said.

Echoing his concerns, a senior veterinary official said that following the interception of the elephant in Assam, it should have been allowed to recuperate under the supervision of veterinarians until it became fit enough to travel.

Meanwhile, a statement from PETA said how it succeeded in moving the ill elephant together with its calf from Tripura following the intervention of animal activist MP Maneka Sanjay Gandhi and the High-Powered Committee (HPC) of the Supreme Court of India which recommended that the 55-year-old elephant 'Pratima' and her calf be transferred to Vantara facility in Jamnagar.

The elephant is said to be having chronic and complex medical conditions. "Enquiries revealed that Pratima and her calf were being kept illegally by an individual at Unakoti in Tripura. A 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 had also sustained multiple in- juries to her abdomen and was suffering from a lack of muscle mass that had caused her backbone to become arched. 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," the PETA statement said.

The individual who was keeping the elephant 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.