Doctors Use Innovative Methods to Treat Paralyzed Elephant
Doctors at India’s first-ever elephant hospital are fighting an uphill battle to save a 9-month-old baby elephant named Bani, who was struck by a train near Corbett National Park in northern India. Bani’s mother also died in the accident. The Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Center in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, is using various techniques, including laser stimulation, ayurvedic massage, and physiotherapy, to try to get Bani back on her feet. Despite some improvement in her condition, the doctors are struggling to identify all of Bani’s fractures.
Emotional Impact of Mother’s Death Slows Physical Recovery
Veterinarians believe that the violent death of Bani’s mother in the train crash is likely having a psychological impact on the baby elephant, which may be slowing her physical recovery. However, there have been positive signs as Bani has started showing playful behavior with her caregivers, holding their hands with her trunk, eating well, and responding to treatment.
Elephant vs. Train Problem in India
Bani’s story is unfortunately not unique in India, where train accidents involving elephants are all too common. With over 20,000 wild elephants, India is home to about 60% of the overall wild Asian elephant population. On average, 20 elephants are killed in train accidents every year, mostly when they cross railway lines that run through their habitats.
Conservationists Call for Action
Conservationists argue that train tracks should not exist in wildlife corridors, and they criticize India’s expanding railway network for disregarding the toll it takes on wildlife. They advocate for the construction of elevated tracks in wildlife corridors and the implementation of technologies like AI-powered alert systems to prevent accidents. Last week, the state of Tamil Nadu launched an AI and machine learning-enabled surveillance system to help prevent elephant deaths on railway tracks.
Alarm Bells for India’s Biodiversity
India has lost approximately 200 elephants to train accidents in the past decade, in addition to high numbers of deaths from poaching and accidental electrocutions. The decline in the elephant population, from 1 million to the current 20,000, poses a threat to India’s biodiversity as elephants play a vital role in ecosystems and food chains. The loss of elephants could have far-reaching consequences for agriculture and livelihoods.