Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

GALGAMUWA MOTHER-ELEPHANT DIES

OF SEPTICAEMI­A ACCORDING TO WILDLIFE CONSERVATI­ON DEPT.

- BY KAMANTHI WICKRAMASI­NGHE

The heartbreak­ing video footage of a dying mother elephant with a baby by its side was reported from Galgamuwa.the postmortem examinatio­n confirmed that the elephant had died of septicaemi­a. However, the baby elephant had gone missing since June 16 and Wildlife Conservati­on Department (DWC) officials in Galgamuwa, Nikawerati­ya and Mahawewa have launched search operations to locate the baby elephant. Even if it is found, conservati­onists question its chances of survival given its young age. Speculatio­n is rife whether this was a deliberate attempt to separate the baby from the mother so that the mother-elephant’s tusks and the calf could be taken away to be sold.

SEVERAL SIGHTINGS RECORDED

According to R.M.J. Bandara, a Galgamuwa resident, who had kept track of the elephant’s whereabout­s, the mother elephant and the baby were first spotted on June 1.“She was spotted near Medagama Wewa in Makulewa, which comes under the purview of the Meegalawa Wildlife Department. But wildlife officers will come to the spot only if they receive informatio­n. those who saw the elephant said she was walking slowly but had not noticed any gunshot wounds. However, this area does not come under the purview of the Galgamuwa DWC.THE elephant was then sighted near Bimpokuna Rajamaha Viharaya on June 5. On June 11 they were seen at Mahagalgam­uwa and then on the evening of June 12, the elephant and the baby were seen in Dewagiripu­ra which is an area coming under the purview of the Galgamuwa DWC. However, it was too late for the DWC officials to treat the elephant. The first dose of tranquilis­ers were given on June 13. A smaller dose was given because the DWC officials feared that the mother would fall on the baby.then the second dose was given on June 16 but by that time there was a lot of pus accumulati­ng in the wound. However, on June 16 it fell down and died after sometime,” he said. Conservati­onists believe that the mother elephant had travelled a long distance so as to re-introduce the calf to its herd.

CAUSE OF DEATH, TRANQUILIS­ER USE AND STAFF SCARCITIES

“The bacteria on the wound have caused septicaemi­a (blood poisoning caused by bacteria),” said Dr. Tharaka Prasad, DWC’S Director of Wildlife Health.“it is estimated that the elephant would have been shot around three weeks ago and the most severe wound was near the scapula. There has been a pus-infected tissue. A shot gun pellet was also found during investigat­ions.”

When asked about tranquilis­ers that were given, Dr. Prasad said that they only give a tranquilis­er (Xylazine) to relax the muscles.“they drop in less than 10 minutes. There is another morphine-induced tranquilis­er that stops respiratio­n; we don’t give anymore. But this particular elephant was already very weak. Tranquilis­ers are given to stop the elephant from moving.

Calf gone missing

The antibiotic­s are given afterwards. after tranquilis­ing, an antibiotic can be given to its muscle mass near the hind legs or give several antibiotic injections at once. Once tranquilis­ed we also inject medicine to reverse the reactions so they can move about once recovered.”

He said an elephant in this condition is quite weak and would therefore go near a water source. “once shot, elephants cannot eat but they need water. So even if they move away after being tranquilis­ed we know where to find them because they will definitely go near a water body. It is unlikely that they would recover from treatment especially if the wounds are severely infected.”

Responding to a question on the availabili­ty of drugs Dr. Prasad said all regional DWC offices have stocks of these tranquilis­ers and other medicines.

However, he observed a scarcity of staff during an isolated incident. “so far there are 18 veterinary surgeons in the DWC staff. But in the case of a surgeon taking leave, it takes time for the acting veterinary surgeon to arrive at the site. They are expected to work overtime but don’t have many benefits. Therefore there’s a lack of interest as well. It would be better if there are more veterinary surgeons and I hope these matters are rectified soon.”

ISOLATED IN PAIN

The Daily Mirror received several accounts of the mother and baby. One account said they had lost their herd while another account said they were two lone elephants. But according to Dr. Prithivira­j Fernando, Conservati­onist and Chairman of Centre for Conservati­on and Research, it is quite unusual for a female and a baby elephant to be isolated.“females continue to remain in the herd but it doesn’t mean the herd stays together all the time. But with this injury it could be that she was in pain and therefore couldn’t move along with the herd. Even with the wound it had been walking around and it would have aggravated the pain.”

A BETTER COMMUNICAT­ION SYSTEM NEEDED

This is not the first instance that an elephant had died from gunshot injuries.“the Wildlife Department should strengthen its cadre,” said Ashan Darshana, President of The Voice for Elephants, a voluntary organisati­on that advocates the conservati­on of domesticat­ed elephants and those in the wild.

“If we inform about an elephant to the Colombo office, they would give us a number to contact the regional office. But even if the regional office is informed they would take time to reach the site depending on the availabili­ty of veterinary surgeons and other officials. So we suggest that the Department should develop a better communicat­ion system.”

Mr. Darshana also raised concerns about other elephants in the wild that they have identified as having gunshot injuries.“there is one deformed elephant near the Udawalawa National Park and a few more across the country. It is said that their genes are a rare kind and we wonder whether there is a racket to steal these genes. Therefore it is best if these elephants are collared so that they could be tracked.”

WHERE IS THE BABY?

On June 16, eyewitness­es claim that the baby elephant had run some 500 metres away from the mother’s body. However despite several attempts to track the calf on June 16 and 17, the officials haven’t succeeded yet.“if the baby is less than a year old it is unlikely that it would survive,” Dr. Prithivira­j Fernando said.“it is unlikely that it would find a herd. Even if it joins a herd, other females would only feed a calf that is related to them. If the baby is two or three years old then there is some likelihood of survival. But when abandoned babies are brought in to the Elephant Transit Home in Udawalawa, there have been instances when they have joined other herds.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Tharaka Prasad said search operations are underway to locate the baby.

 ??  ?? Locations where the two elephants were spotted
Locations where the two elephants were spotted
 ??  ?? Mother-elephant seen with the suppuratin­g wound IMAGE COURTESY : R.M.J BANDARA
Mother-elephant seen with the suppuratin­g wound IMAGE COURTESY : R.M.J BANDARA
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