The plight of Delhi’s elephants.

[Guest guest]

Source: www.wildlifesos.com

 

The plight of delhi's elephants.

 

There are 35 elephants living within the city limits of Delhi. Most of

these elephants belong to families of the Siddique community. These

families live in a squalid settlement at Jamunapar. Dr Ashvini of

Wildlife SOS visited them and found out that the living conditions are

unbearable for humans and elephants alike. The Elephants are under

constant stress, as even after doing hard work they do not have a

sheltered area to rest and are forced to stay in the sun at all times

of the day.

 

All the Elephants seen had a below par `Body Condition Index'.

Unhygienic conditions, stress and a poor diet were the main reason for

this. Most of the elephants are provided a diet mainly consisting of

the high-protein Bajra grain. Elephants are not used to high protein

diets and fall prey to diseases such as rheumatic arthritis. Almost

all the elephant were affected with some type of foot disease. This

could be due to the fact that the elephants walk long distances on dry

and dirty roads without any breaks. The `mahouts' lax attitude toward

foot infections could have aggravated the elephants' problems.

Many of the elephants are also suffering from laminitis. This is the

inflammation of the lamina under the foot.

 

Besides this the major problems faced by the elephants were in the

nature of gastrointestinal disorders. It is thought that this might be

due to the gastrointestinal helminthiaisis. A stool test revealed that

the elephants were suffering from major round worm infestations.

 

The mahouts are also staunch supporters of traditional forms of

medicine and shy away from using modern, prescribed medicines and

methods. This not only doesn't cure the elephants but usually

compounds the problem.

 

Wildlife SOS is working towards alleviating the pain and misery for

these majestic animals by educating the mahouts while providing

medical assistance to the elephants.