Elephants are an important part of the culture of Sri Lanka. They have symbolic importance in the country. Being heavy animals, elephants support various operations such as logging by dragging the felled logs. Also, they hold special significance in most religious events.
Sri Lanka is known for the subspecies of elephants found there. Sri Lankan elephant, native to Sri Lanka is the darkest and the largest subspecies of the three recognized Asian elephant subspecies. The tourists who wish to see the elephants in the wild, visit Sri Lanka national parks to witness the real elephant wildlife.
The Wild Elephant (TWE) is devoted to the cause of elephant safety and security. Therefore, we try to reach out to each and every elephant in pain or danger and needs to be rescued. This time, we are in Anuradhapura Sri Lanka presenting to you a wounded tusker treatment by our rescue team. The team dedicated to rescuing the elephants carefully prepares each shot of the medical dose to cure the impeccable animal suffering from pain.
As a huge animals, elephants are quite difficult to treat medically, especially when they are in intense pain. Why so? Although they are harmless and friendly animals, they can still harm the medical professional who gets close to them. In most cases, the frightened animals attack even the ones who get close to them to relieve them from the pain they are going through. So, we need to be very careful about how to perform a proper wounded tusker treatment.
This huge yet wounded tusker is laying down on the ground which is clear evidence of how much intense pain it is going through. It surely could not be able to stand so it might have been laid down. As the rescue team arrived, the professional veterinary personnel got indulged in the treatment of this innocent wounded tusker.
They injected the anesthesia to reduce the intensity of pain and started to treat the wound according to the most appropriate method. Meanwhile, the tusker laid still and let the professionals do their job.
The wound management guidelines Sri Lanka provides proper procedures and codes of practices on how to treat the wounds. However, the professionals dedicated to the cause of elephant safety and security know very well how to carry out a wounded tusker treatment in the best possible way.
In Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, elephants need proper attention and care. This is because this species is among the rarest species of elephants. Also, this species includes the largest land animal found on earth. There are only 2500 to 4000 individuals of Sri Lankan elephants left. Therefore, this species is classified as endangered. So, if not properly conserved, the population may face further decline.
Mostly, the contributing factors towards the decline of their population include lethal human interaction such as hunting, captivating, and exploitation for different purposes; narrowing of their geographic range, and fragmentation of habitat.
As you can see, the Sri Lankan elephants have a grey body with flecks of lighter spots caused by the depigmentation of some skin cells. The strong yet cylindrical legs support their rounded torso. The distinct double-dome-shaped angular ears are generally tucked just behind the head.
Sri Lankan elephants fall among the Asian elephants and are the largest of all subspecies. They are the biggest land animals found in Asia. An adult Sri Lankan elephant can weigh from 4400 to 12000 pounds and reach an average height of 11.5 feet that is almost twice as tall as the height of an average human man.
This wounded tusker is more bound to get the proper treatment since it has a large tusk grown. Tusk is specific to the Sri Lankan elephants only. Furthermore, only a fraction of male Sri Lankan elephants can grow them out.
As soon as the treatment is done, the rescue team steps back and waits for the tusker to get up. After a while, the tusker starts moving its trunk and legs. It is obvious that the tusker feels relieved and can move; maybe in some pain, but can get up and walk by. Soon, it will leave from here and meet its family and friends back.
Hats off to the rescue team of the wild elephant who reached on time and provided proper veterinary medication for the wounded tusker treatment.
