The First Elephant Hospital In India Opens Its Doors
India is home to 50–60 per cent of all the elephants in Asia. Thus, the country is of paramount importance for the survival of the species.
However, elephants in India are facing a variety of problems, with respect to habitat loss, use in the entertainment industry, lack of medical facilities. Poaching is the other very serious threat.
Concern for the threat to the elephant led to the formation in 1992 of the government-backed ‘Project Elephant’. This scheme was intended to preserve habitat and establish elephant corridors, allowing for the traditional migration patterns of established elephant herds.
Addressing human-elephant conflict issues and improving the welfare of domesticated elephants was also a central part of the organisation’s brief.
Now, in a jumbo attempt to preserve elephants, Wildlife SOS has launched India’s first and fully equipped hospital dedicated to elephants in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh Forest Department.
Key highlights of the hospital
1. The hospital has modern medical facilities for treatment of injured elephants in distress like Wireless Digital X-Ray, Laser Treatment, Dental X-Ray, Thermal imaging, Ultrasonography, Hydrotherapy, Tranquilization Equipment and Quarantine facilities.
2. The hospital is located near Agra, in the Farah block of Mathura near the Elephant Conservation and Care Center (ECCC) run by Wildlife SOS
3. The Wildlife SOS Elephant Hospital is designed to treat injured, sick or geriatric elephants and is equipped with a medical hoist for lifting elephants requiring critical care, a pathology laboratory, digital weighing scale, Elephant Restraining Device (ERD) with a dedicated indoor treatment enclosure for longer medical procedures.
4. India’s first elephant hospital is jumbo sized with a built-up area of nearly 12,000 square feet with observation area for overnight monitoring of elephants under treatment using Close Circuit Infra-Red CCTV cameras.
5. Training courses will be organized by Wildlife SOS to spread knowledge on elephant medical care, humane elephant management and veterinary procedures to spread compassion.
Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO Wildlife SOS said:
“This is a huge milestone for elephant protection in India. This hospital will help us take better care of injured elephants in distress.”
Wildlife SOS established the first Elephant Conservation and Care Center (ECCC) in 2010 which is currently providing lifetime care and treatment for over 20 rehabilitated pachyderms, rescued from illegal captivity and circuses where they were ill-treated and subjected to cruelty.
Today, the ECCC is a living, breathing model of humane elephant care and treatment and a result of a collaboration between Wildlife SOS and the State Forest Department of Uttar Pradesh. The Elephant Hospital was built entirely with private donations and CSR support.
Ketto & Animal Welfare
Since its inception, Ketto has been a strong proponent of animal welfare in this country. Click on the links below to view crowdfunding projects Ketto has been involved with for saving and helping animals. If you feel inspired, you can perhaps start your own animal rescue project with Ketto as well.
Ketto Blog remains committed to inspiring and compelling social change to India’s most pressing problems through the power of great stories and engaging our audiences to take meaningful action.
