In Uttarakhand, Army rushes to save jumbo with broken legs, failing will

DEHRADUN: A 40-member team of the Bengal Sappers, a military engineering regiment of the Indian Army, and veterinary doctors from Mathura-based Wildlife SOS, a non-governmental organisation, have been working tirelessly -- and against time -- to rescue a 35-year-old male elephant, Moti, with a severely damaged right forelimb and foot pads.
The jumbo was allegedly being used for tourist rides and begging in Uttarakhand's Rampur district after his master Akhtar Imam died in November 2021.

According to a doctor who is handling Moti's case, it's been 18 days that the jumbo has not shown any signs of recovery. "His condition is deteriorating with each passing day as he has reduced the intake of water and food, he said.
'Pachyderm unable to stand as all his limbs are almost gone'
However, with the efforts of the Army personnel, we are hopeful that together we will be able to help Moti get back on his feet," he added.

Local residents said the elephant had collapsed recently and never really made any attempt to get up. It's been lying on the roadside, barely able to move or eat. It was the relentless weight bearing that affected Moti. Doctors said that "due to severe swelling in the right forelimb, conducting an x-ray has become difficult. Moreover, it has developed foot pad ulcers, bed sores, septic condition with excruciating pain".
Sources said that it was Shiv Kunal Verma, an Indian military historian associated with Wildlife SOS, who apprised former Army chief and now minister, General VK Singh, regarding the jumbo's condition. Singh then reached out to the Army to help save the elephant. That escalated action. "We received a distress call on February 4 evening regarding Moti, who is in very bad shape and unable to get up. Our team immediately left for Ramnagar to examine its exact condition. Following that, an additional team rushed to the spot with required equipment," said Lt Col Prateek Gupta from Bengal Engineer Group (BEG) centre Roorkee, who is at Ramnagar and leading the whole operation.
He added, "The pachyderm is unable to stand as all his limbs, especially the pads, are almost gone. We have made a shed and built a karal around the elephant that can be pulled by a crane to make him stand as the veterinary doctors have suggested not to use an underbelly sling to get him up because it can damage his internal organs." That could even cut through his skin, said experts.
On Monday evening, the first attempt to lift the tuskar failed and now the team of Army engineers are planning to add another storey on the karal structure to lift Moti. "We would now have to find another way to lift him. We are looking at all possible alternatives," Lt Col Gupta said.
Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said, "This is a major wake-up call towards the plight of riding elephants."