New Delhi — Doctors at India’s first-ever elephant hospital are using every method at their disposal, from laser stimulation to ayurvedic massage and physiotherapy, to try to get a baby elephant back on her feet after she was struck by a train. It has been an uphill battle so far, and far from being a rare tragedy, the little elephant’s story is all too common in India.
A veterinary worker at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Center in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, northern India, feeds Bani, a 9-month-old female elephant injured in a train strike. Courtesy of Wildlife SOS
Wildlife authorities treated Bani for hip and spine injuries at a local facility for more than a month, but she showed no improvement. In early February, she was moved to the city of Mathura for treatment at India’s first veterinary hospital exclusively for elephants, run by the conservation organization Wildlife SOS.
Veterinarians at the hospital told CBS News there’s been some improvement in her condition, but they’re finding it challenging to pinpoint all of Bani’s fractures.
“We have taken multiple x-rays… but we could not see where exactly the bone breakages are,” Dr. A. Sha Arun, a senior veterinarian at the Wildlife SOS center told CBS News. “It’s a little challenging, because hip regions are bulky and not easy to penetrate with normal x-rays.”
Vets told CBS News that Bani had multiple wounds to her back and groin, which have continued healing slowly.
“Initially we suspected a spinal injury, but the movement in her tail, normal digestion and body functions indicate that her body is responding to treatment,” said Dr. Ilayaraja S.
With the advanced treatment and multiple therapies the hospital has been able to provide, Bani has regained the use of her front legs. But her hind legs remain a cause for concern. Arun said it could take Bani up to three months to get back on her feet, and that’s assuming the treatment keeps going well.
Scientists consider elephants one of the most emotionally advanced species, and the vets believe the violent death of Bani’s mother in the train crash is likely having some psychological impact, and possible slowing her physical recovery. But they have been encouraged as she’s started becoming more playful with her caregivers, holding their hands with her trunk, eating well and responding to treatment.