Rinky is dead !

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

 

Rinky, breathed her last yesterday.

She was being treated by Vets for more than a month for spinal

concussion injury, which most elephant experts believed should have

been dealt with an immediate euthansaia and not extending a hopeless

painful treatment.

 

Her loud cries which echoed the campus of the veterinary campus shall

not be heard anymore. She had finally managed to go far away from any

ruthless HUMAN HABITAT forever !

No politics can reach her her now. She is free !!

May her soul rest in peace ! But certainly her sacrifice will not go vain.

 

In the initial stages despite several requests made, the Vets

attending to her gave statements on newspaper and media that they were

quite confident of treating her back to normal again.

This despite self claims by the Vets on television that they neither

had instruments or even an X-ray machine available.

 

When I went to see Rinky, a day after she was admitted to the North

east India`s premier veterinary institute in Guwahati, I found that

she was not provided with even the basic requirments. No blanket, no

shelter over her head, just left lying underneath a tree in the

bizzare winter chill here.

I could see many bed sores in both sides of her body ( 4 days after

her accident ).

It took 7 days for any NGO to arrive in the scene. Although many of

them came with financial assitance later and were also monitoring the

case closely. But the damage was dome right in the begining.

 

An elephant being a Schedule 1 animal needs the permission of the

Wildlife department for Euthanasia. After many weeks the wildlife

people finally got to the act and were planning to work on the

euthanasia, but by then it was too late. Rinky, was very fragile and

weak, and was not responding to medicines. She slowly and very

painfuly was embraced by death.

 

I am told by the owner that she dies of Pneumonia, and multiple bed

sores. She was not taking any food or food supplements. She was being

fed intravenously and was under heavy antibiotic dose.

 

I will definitely keep the pressure and demand a detailed inquiry from

the Projet Elephant Director so that this lesson can serve as a model

to prevent such blunders and politics from not occuring in future.

 

Regards,

 

Azam Siddiqui

 

 

 

 

 

aapn , " azam24x7 " <azamsiddiqui wrote:

>

> This video of Rinki- the two year old elephant calf was shot on 2nd

> December` 2006 by me:

>

>

>

> Rinki met with an accident when a speeding truck crashed on to her

> on the National Highway No.36 at Assam`s Nagaon district.

> Rinky was playfully walking on the side of the road escorted by her

> captive mother ( ages 20yrs ) and her elder sister ( aged 5yrs ),

> when this wretched truck driver lost control and rammed his vehicle

> into the elephant.

>

> Rinki was shifted from the site of the accident to the premier

> Veterinary college of the north east India at Guwahati city.

>

> The vets attending to her say that she has suffered Lumbo-Sacral

> fracture ( lower spinal cord fracture ), which is why she is unable

> to stand up or event sit.

>

> Her X-ray will be performed only on Monday 4th December ( as the

> machine is faulty ).

>

> When I went to pay the injured calf a visit, I found her condition

> to be pathetic.

>

> She was brought without her mother. This because the mother wont

> allow anyone to come near the calf, and was constantly trying to

> push the calf to get up.

> The calf was resting through the day and night below a shady tree on

> the cold ground. Although there was straw placed underneath but she

> has pushed them all aside.

> She has developed severe bedsores as a result of constantly lying on

> her right side.

> She was crying out in severe pain.

> The helpless owner was trying to do all that was possible within his

> limits.

>

> The veterinary department and the wildlife department were not able

> to prvide some of the basic emergency requirements.

> 1. A mosquito net: Because the only mosquito net is in the Zoo and

> so it was not made available.

>

> 2. No blanket was provided to the calf, despite temperatures here

> reaching 12 Degrees celcius at night.

>

> 3. No shed was above the elephant to protect it from the dew and

> other objects falling from the tree. This despite the fact that the

> elephant had paralyzed its tail and was not able to drive away the

> flies etc.

>

> 4. There is just one sling available in the Zoo, and even that was

> not made available so that the elephant could stand up.

>

> 5. Despite 3000 plus wildlife NGOs present in the state, none seemed

> to have the courtesy to pay the elephant a visit.

>

> Fortunately I carried a blanket, which I have donated to the

> elephant`s owner.

>

> I have also asked the veterinary students to raise funds for the

> welfare of the elephant. The students have agreed to donate at least

> Rs.10/- each and want to buy the elephant a waterproof sheet so that

> it can be put up at night above the elephant as a shed.

> I am also trying to pass the message to all the local NGOs across.

> that this animal needs help !

> I have informed the local news media and it has already been

> published so that more people are aware of this elephant's condition.

>

> It is extremely sad that this sprawling veterinary college and

> hospital could not make the basics available to the one and only

> exotic patient and a schedule 1 animal.

>

> Just wanted to share this with my AAPN colleagues, and also those in

> India who may care to take this matter up with the 'ANIMAL WELFARE

> BOARD OF INDIA'.

>

> Whether Rinki shall be able to lead a normal life or finally is

> euthanised only time can say.

> The Vets are doing their best.

> But there is a big lesson to be learnt from this story for all those

> involved in animal welfare business, because despite so much of

> awareness and funds rolling, when it comes to actually see some

> action, the results are so depressing !!

> Believe it or not there are 3000 plus NGOs working for wildlife

> research, conservation, animal care emergencies, etc etc....but when

> they are needed the most, the cries of the animal in distress often

> goes unseen, unheard !

>

> Till the time of filing this report ( 1:15pm, 03/12/06 ), I am told

> by the guardian of the elephant that barring a few media persons, NO

> ONE FROM ANY NGO HAS CONTACTED OR CARED TO VISIT THE HOSPITAL

> PREMISES TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE WELFARE OF THIS CALF.

> Rinki, is refusing to take milk or milk supplements, she is taking

> gram and some banana stems though, the vets are monitorning her

> condition.

>

>

> Azam Siddiqui

>

> PS: Please do mail me at: azamsiddiqui to know about the

> update on Rinki`s condition and also for more pictures.

>