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ShareThere are more dangers lurking in this concrete jungle than in the wild. So will say Roopkali, a 33-year-old female elephant. Accompanied by her mahout, she was trundling down the road under the BARC flyover, Chembur, when a truck hit her from behind on Tuesday night.
It took rescuers, including veterinarians, volunteers from PETA, PFA, SPCA, police officials and fire brigade, six hours to administer first aid to Roopkali, who injured her rear left leg, and transport her to the animal hospital.
Roopkali is recuperating at the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) hospital in Parel. She lies on a makeshift bed of hay, while attendants pour buckets of water on her every hour, to keep her cool. Vets at the hospital say that this might be her home for the next two months.
The rescue operation: A witness called up PETA at 1 am, and reported the incident. PETA roped in Dr Deepa Katyal, a veterinarian and trustee of People for Animals (PFA), who arrived at the spot with a couple of volunteers.
"We started treatment at 1.15 am. Even though there was no sign of external injury, the left hind leg was clearly affected. The elephant had curled its trunk in pain and was flapping its ears continuously. I administered saline and steroids at the site intravenously to help relieve the stress," said Katyal. The mahout kept the elephant calm as the vets administered first aid. "The dosage of medicine varies according to the weight of the animal. Roopkali is a two tonne giant," added Katyal.
A team of veterinary doctors and a van from the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) arrived around 3 pm. Trombay Police, too, chipped in to help, stopping a crane bound for Vashi harbour and convincing the driver to help. "Police also put up a barricade and stopped a platform truck strong enough to transport the two-tonne elephant," said Jayasimha NG, Co-ordinator, Campaign and Legal Affairs, PETA.
"We managed to get hold of strong hay ropes needed to lift the elephant, but tying up Roopkali posed a problem. Using a bamboo as lever, we made space to pass the rope under the elephant, and finally tied her up," added Jayasimha. All these took six hours before Roopkali was transported to the animal hospital.
Treatment: At the hospital, getting the elephant off the truck proved to be a Herculean task. Another hour went by, before she was lowered on a makeshift bed of hay inside the hospital around 7 am on Wednesday.
"We administered her five litres of saline, as she hadn't eaten anything," said Colonel JC Khanna, secretary, SPCA. "It is a suspected case of fracture, but we are unable to confirm it. We don't have a big enough x-ray machine to examine Roopkali," he added.
If it turns out to be a fracture, it will take Roopkali at least two months to recover, said vets. "We have asked zoo officials and wildlife veterinarians at Sanjay Gandhi National Park for help," said Khanna.
