Elephant dies 3 weeks after being rescued from mud in Ctg
A wild elephant, which was injured after getting stuck in the mud at Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary in Chattogram's Banshkhali, died today (28 March).
The elephant was rescued from mud at a water stream near the Napora area of the sanctuary on 6 March and had been receiving treatment for the past 23 days.
Chattogram Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation Officer Dipannita Bhattacharjee said, "The elephant had not been eating food since 25 March. We were administering saline and antibiotics.
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"It could not stand up or sit up, but it was eating fairly well. But after not eating for three days, it became even weaker and eventually died at around 11:35am today."
The elephant, approximately 35 years old, was being treated next to the water stream.
"The elephant weighs more than 2 tonnes. Since the area is deep in the inaccessible forest, there was no chance of taking it to the safari park. As much treatment and care as possible was being provided during the day. It is not safe to stay there at night as wild elephants roam in that area. Even then, forest department officials and employees have tried their best to cure the elephant," Dipannita said.
Dr Zulkarnain, who was in charge of the elephant's medical care, said, "The elephant's physical condition started improving from 12 March. However, after stopping the medicines on the advice of an international elephant expert, its physical condition started to deteriorate. We contacted elephant experts from different countries and took their advice. But in the end, we could not save the elephant."
Abu Naser Mohammad Yasin, divisional forest officer at the Wildlife Management & Nature Conservation Division, said, "A specialised helicopter would have been needed to rescue the elephant from the deep forest. Also, a veterinarian hospital would have been needed for treatment. However, we have only one veterinary surgeon in the entire Chattogram district.
"Despite these limitations, 12-13 of our workers have gone five kilometers deep into the forest every day to take care of the elephant for the past 23 days. Despite our best efforts, we couldn't save the elephant."
