Guwahati: A 53-year-old female elephant that was swept nearly 55 km from Nagaland into Assam’s Sivasagar district by floodwaters last month has been airlifted to Vantara in Jamnagar, Gujarat, for specialised treatment, officials said on Saturday.In a media release, Vantara, founded by Anant Ambani, executive director of Reliance Industries Ltd, said transporting an elephant by air as part of intensive hospital care was a first-of-its-kind undertaking in India and required extensive veterinary, animal-care and logistical preparations.“She sustained multiple injuries during the incident, including wounds to her forehead, right ear, the area above her tail, left inner thigh and abdomen, as well as a deep, maggot-infested wound around her external genital area. Her right eye is severely damaged, leaving her blind in that eye, with persistent tearing,” Vantara said.The elephant was flown to Vantara following an order of Supreme Court’s high-powered committee (HPC), which deals with matters concerning captive elephants and other wild animals, and clearance from the court of the sub-divisional judicial magistrate, Nazira, in Sivasagar.She was transferred from Sivasagar to Jorhat on Wednesday night and airlifted from Jorhat to Vantara in Jamnagar on Thursday.The elephant will receive intensive care for age-related complications, injuries and mobility challenges. Sivasagar divisional forest officer Chiranjeev Jain said the elephant, named Joymoti, was washed away in the recent floods and sustained injuries. She was being treated by the state forest department with assistance from local veterinarians.“We found that the injuries were a bit debilitating. Then, the owner also contacted the HPC of the SC. He had requested permission to shift the elephant to Vantara,” Jain told TOI on Saturday.Jain said the HPC directed that the elephant be provided treatment at Vantara after assessing her condition and permitted her transportation to the facility in Jamnagar.A decision on where Joymoti will stay in the future is likely to be taken based on her response to treatment and recovery, Jain said. “No timeline has been set by the HPC for how long she will stay in Jamnagar,” he added.Joymoti’s transfer was planned and carried out with attention to her health, comfort and safety at every stage, including veterinary assessment and preparation before travel, loading, monitoring during the flight and arrival at the hospital, Vantara said.The elephant was found on the banks of Dikhow river, which caused extensive flooding in upper Assam, with injuries to one of her hind legs.
