These officers encountered this elephant as they were traveling close to the village on a routine medical check-up mission to vaccinate and treat elephants in the area. Unfortunately, this is also the musth period on elephants here. Musth is a periodic condition in male elephants, characterized by highly aggressive behavior and accompanied by a massive rise in reproductive hormones. During this period, these elephants become highly aggressive to a point they would even attack other male elephants in the vicinity.
These giants require medicine support just like us humans to stay healthy and also to stay resilient any disease they can catch while they roam around the natural habitats they live in. They are shot with vaccines as treatments, and these are done to minimize the risks of approaching a dangerous animal such as an elephant or a larger animal.
A team of wildlife officers responded to this event and immediately came over to monitor the issue, and they also started the procedures to shoot this elephant with a tranquilizer gun. This will sedate the elephant so these officers will get a chance to get close. If this elephant regains consciousness, any of these officers can be sent flying with a possibility to lose their lives.
More on Elephants:
In the beautiful island of Sri Lanka, Elephants roam the streets and through village areas freely in many regions of the country. The small island nation is full of elephants that are loved by most of the inhabitants of the island. Most educated in the country are continually fighting corruption and animal abuse especially towards the treasures that elephants are to the state as Sri Lankan elephants are known as the largest and the strongest among Asian elephants.
However, around farming villages where elephants raid crops, many conflicts are happening that have caused casualties to both sides. They have set a lot of fences and electric fences with barriers around many villages and farmlands around national parks and many massive forest reserves. These elephants often run into traps and wells placed along with farms for water supply.
