After Bijlee, the 58-year-old elephant Bijlee passed away on Sunday morning, veterinarians said that some of the maladies that she suffered from were common causes in the death of privately owned pachyderms.
Speaking to dna, Dr Yaduraj Khadpekar, senior vet, Wildlife SOS, Agra, who flew in from Agra to treat Bijlee days ago, emphasises the importance of the elephant's feet and how delicate they are. He explained that foot injuries that turn into infections are largely responsible for the death of many elephants in the country.
Elephants like Bijlee, who are privately owned, are often used to beg in the city. “When they are made to walk to tar roads, they hurt their feet. Plus, they risk being run-over by heavy motor vehicles. The injury of their feet never heals as they don't receive timely medical care. These injuries turn into fatal infections,” Dr Khadpekar said.
Like Bijlee, another elephant Laxmi also suffers from a degenerative joint disease that is a culmination of multiple factors. Experts also highlight the need for a proper diet as obesity adds to the the animal's ailments.
“I know of elephants who are fed rotis and bread. This is not good for the pachyderm at all. Food that is not meant for the elephant leads to obesity. This, coupled with the foot problem costs the elephant his or her life,” an activist stated.
“Elephants from neighbouring states cannot enter the city without a transit permit by the Forest department. The permits can only be issued to pets and not for animals who are made to beg. Why is the Forest department issuing these permits?,” asked secretary of PAWS-Mumbai (Plant & Animals Welfare Society, Mumbai) Sunish Subramanian Kunju. Kunju said that there are eight to nine elephants in the city. “It's obvious that these animals are not well taken care of. The authorities should intervene at this stage instead of when the animal is on the deathbed.”
Kunju criticised the fact that Bijlee was not admitted to a hospital. “Why wasn't she shifted to an isolated place which was sanitary? After all, she was being treated for a maggot wound. You cannot treat it in an unsanitary environment,” he complained.
The only solution in this situation, Shakuntala Majumdar, president of Thane’s Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), says is calling for a complete ban of any elephant, indiscriminate of their ownership status, within three municipal corporations – Thane Municipal Corporation, Mumbai Municipal Corporation and the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. “We are actually sitting on a time bomb of fatalities if we do not restrict the elephants from moving within the city limits.”
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