Badshah Bahadur: Rescued from abuse, but where will he call home?
Badshah is making a rapid recovery. His rescue has received praise, but it has also raised a bigger question: what will happen to the elephants still roaming with injuries, performing in circuses or carrying goods in the hills?
Badshah Bahadur, an elephant used in a circus in Mahasthangarh, Bogura, could barely walk that day. His ribs seemed ready to break through his heavy hide. He had been used to performing in circuses. His job was to entertain people. He had been forced to do all kinds of things to earn a living.
Yet people did not even feed him properly. Instead, they beat him with a bullhook, controlled him at will by tying ropes around his ears, and did not even attempt to treat the wounds left after his tusks were removed. His legs and abdomen were covered in wounds. The deepest and most extensive wound was on his neck. It had developed because sacks of food were hung from either side of his neck using a rope.
Badshah was used for performances by various circus groups, including The Bulbul Circus. There have also been allegations that he was used in road shows and extortion in Naogaon and Joypurhat. The elephant's owner is Sabur Alam, a resident of Mahasthangarh. He claims that he bought the elephant in 2011. In 2014, a tree fell on Badshah during a storm, breaking his tusk and causing an infection. Even after he fell ill, the elephant was forced to perform and continued to suffer abuse.
A few days ago, when photographs of the badly wounded elephant went viral on social media, prime minister Tarique Rahman took notice and ordered that he be rescued and treated immediately.
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Officials from the Department of Livestock Services contacted Sabur Alam. He told Md Raihan, the livestock officer of Bogura Sadar upazila, that he could no longer afford the elephant's food and medical expenses and was therefore voluntarily handing him over to the authorities.
Badshah Bahadur was then transported from Bogura at 8pm on 4 July to a zoo for treatment.
The deepest wound was on the neck
Badshah Bahadur arrived at the zoo from Bogura in the early hours of 5 July. A team of zoo veterinarians was waiting for him. Initially, the wounds were cleaned with povidone-iodine and sprayed with antibiotics. The wound where his tusk had been removed was washed with saline while the doctors awaited instructions from the medical board.
The medical board was formed with experts from the Central Veterinary Hospital, the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, and former veterinarians of the zoo.
The board members first examined Badshah's wounds. Of all the injuries, the wound on his neck was the most concerning. The board recommended a long-acting antibiotic and dressing the wounds twice a day. Other than the neck wound, the remaining injuries were superficial. The board recommended antibiotic spray for those wounds and regular washing of the tusk wound, where maggots had developed.
Zoo Director Md Shahinur Alam, himself a veterinarian, also became involved in the treatment alongside his other responsibilities. He said, "Badshah Bahadur has been through a lot. He was probably put to work performing at a very young age."
The process of domesticating elephants, he noted, is primitive and abusive. "It involves practices such as beating, starvation and keeping them tied up. And because elephants are such large animals, the extent of abuse is also much greater."
He added that circus elephants are also trained through beating and starvation.
"The numerous injuries from blows to Bahadur's head suggest that he was repeatedly forced to perform. Badshah is a gentle elephant. He does not have a tendency to become aggressive. He has adapted quickly to his new mahout. This is making it easier to treat him."
Dr Md Amir Hossain is a zoo animal consultant. He has been regularly overseeing Badshah's treatment with a team of fellow veterinarians. Initially, it was thought that Badshah would take three to four months to recover. But improvement was visible from the third day.
Badshah's weight was estimated at 4,000kg. He was given a 160ml dose of an antibiotic injection. Each injection remains effective for up to 48 hours. Five doses were administered over ten days. The dead tissue in Badshah's wounds was cleaned with hydrogen peroxide. Vitamins and minerals were also added to his food. The doctors had not expected the elephant to respond within just three days.
Dr Hossain said, "Badshah is more than 50 years old. At that age, he has already passed middle age. So we did not expect him to respond so quickly."
Food became part of the cure
Badshah had been fed almost exclusively banana plants for a long time. As a result, suddenly giving him a large amount of food could disrupt his digestive system. The medical board therefore initially prescribed 50% of the standard ration for an elephant. As he gradually adjusted, the ratio was increased to 60% and then 70%. Badshah is now receiving his full ration.
Badshah is a healthy and energetic elephant. Alongside the medication, Zoo animal nutrition officer Gazi Yasir Arafat says adequate food intake is playing an important role in healing his wounds.
"We now give him 100kg of green grass, 100kg of banana plants, 30kg of mixed vegetables such as sweet pumpkin, bottle gourd and carrots, 5kg of bananas, 3.5kg of concentrated feed such as wheat bran, and plenty of water every day. He has recovered considerably over the past month and a half," he explained.
Dr Amir Hossain mentioned that the neck wound was their biggest concern, so when it began to heal, they became hopeful.
"However, the elephant's left hind leg will never fully recover. He fractured that leg 20 to 22 years ago, and it subsequently healed abnormally. We call this a false joint formation. After so many years, it is no longer possible to restore it to its normal condition. So the elephant will continue to walk with a limp," he said.
When asked whether the mahouts or owners had ever taken measures to treat his wounds, Dr Hossain said, "They may occasionally crush easily available antibiotic tablets from the market and sprinkle them over the wounds. That is unlikely to produce good results."
Badshah in high spirits
The mahouts at the zoo begin work at 7am. They first exercise the elephants for some time and then bathe them. The elephants are fed afterwards.
"First, elephants should not be privately owned. At the same time, they should not simply be released into the forest. Instead, sanctuaries should be established covering 10 to 12 square kilometres where the elephants could live in a semi-domesticated environment. Wildlife biologists, veterinarians and mahouts would work at these sanctuaries."
Badshah Bahadur is now quite cheerful. He has never received this level of care before. He takes his time during baths and does not stop while eating. This is also one of the reasons behind his rapid recovery.
A 2016 IUCN survey titled "Status of Asian Elephants in Bangladesh" found that Bangladesh had 268 wild elephants and 96 captive elephants. Of the captive elephants, 14 were kept by government institutions and 82 were privately owned.
Are most captive elephants used in circuses? Dr Hossain said, "Elephants in zoos and safari parks are also considered captive. However, most privately owned elephants are used in circuses or for entertainment. Some people also keep elephants as a hobby. In our country, licences to keep elephants were still being issued until two or two and a half years ago."
Zoo Director Dr Shahinur Alam believes that the likelihood of conflict between elephants and humans would be lower if people did not destroy their habitat and food sources or obstruct their movement routes. "Elephants have become endangered because of conflict with humans despite their important role in forest regeneration."
Can Badshah return to the wild?
Beginning in the 18th century, the British began capturing elephants on a large scale in the Indian subcontinent. They used elephants for transporting military supplies, dragging logs and travelling through difficult terrain, among other purposes.
In Dhaka, the British established Pilkhana as an elephant training centre. British rule ended in 1947, but Dhaka subsequently became a centre for domesticated elephants. The colonial-era purposes for keeping elephants in captivity have long disappeared. Yet elephants are still used for entertainment and extortion and continue to suffer cruel treatment. Badshah Bahadur is an example of this.
Against this backdrop, we asked Dr Amir Hossain whether Badshah could be released into the wild.
He replied, "The matter is quite complicated. First, we do not know his birth history. If he was captive-bred, it would be extremely difficult for him to adapt to life in the wild. He also does not have much knowledge of how to find food. I think he would be better off remaining in captivity."
What happens to elephants like Badshah?
The initiative to rescue and rehabilitate Badshah has received praise, but it has also raised a bigger question: what will happen to the elephants still roaming with injuries, performing in circuses or carrying goods in the hills?
We put the question to wildlife and environmental expert Dr Ali Reza Khan.
"First, elephants should not be privately owned. At the same time, they should not simply be released into the forest. Having come into close contact with humans, they may have been exposed to various pathogens and could pose a risk of transmitting diseases to other animals."
Instead, he proposed establishing sanctuaries covering 10 to 12 square kilometres where the elephants could live in a semi-domesticated environment. Wildlife biologists, veterinarians and mahouts would work at these sanctuaries.
In other words, the elephants would live in a system that combines human care with elements of their natural environment. Such elephant sanctuaries or orphanages exist in Tamil Nadu, India, and Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh could learn from their experience.
