GUWAHATI, April 15 - A baby elephant that got separated from its mother and the herd and injured itself after falling into a wide open drain, was rescued by the Army today.
The injured elephant fractured its right forelimb after the fall.
Army sources said that early morning today a routine parameter patrol of the 14 Ammunition Depot at Narangi Cantonment of the city found the baby elephant stuck in a drain near the boundary of the depot. It was visibly in great pain and discomfort.
�The commander of the patrol party immediately informed the Commandant of the Depot, Col Sanjiv Vohr who swung into action and activated his quick response team along with the available officers. He also informed the GOC of 51 Sub Area, Major General AK Jha of the situation at hand. The staff of the Sub Area Headquarters on the directions of the GOC informed the local forest department for expert help,� sources said.
Sources added that the quick response team under the supervision of the Commandant of the Ammunition Depot and other officers was able to retrieve the baby elephant from the drain and brought it to a shady place and made it comfortable. It was also provided with flour, fruits and water. Meanwhile, the forest department team also arrived at the scene.
Due to the unavailability of a civil veterinarian because of a State holiday on account of the Bihu festival, the Army veterinary team under a senior Army Remount and Veterinary Corps Officer, was pressed into service. The Army vet provided immediate first-aid to the animal and administered pain killers to give the required relief to the animal.
�Overall it was a wonderful display of compassion between man and the wild, and the responsiveness of troops towards their responsibility towards maintaining a healthy eco-system. The elephant is calm and being fed and taken care of by the troops of the Ammunition Depot and the Army vets are providing him the required treatment,� sources said.
It may be recalled that in a similar incident in April 2014, a baby elephant was rescued from a pond by the personal of the same Ammunition Depot in the same general area under the same Commandant.
