A 25-year-old female wild elephant was rescued and treated by a specialised veterinary team after her trunk became trapped in a deadly wire snare at Assam’s Raimona National Park along the Indo-Bhutan border.
The injured elephant was first spotted on September 1 near the Daogen Gonthong anti-poaching camp under the Sanfan Range of the Kachugaon Forest Division. She was accompanied by her calf at the time.
Forest guards stationed at the camp closely tracked the elephant’s movements over the following days to ensure that an intervention could be carried out safely.
The elephant was sighted again near the camp on September 7, prompting the immediate deployment of a joint veterinary team comprising Dr Prabhat Basumatary, FVO, Manas Tiger Reserve; Dr Daoharu Baro, veterinarian with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI); and Dr Pankaj Chakraborty, Veterinary Officer at the State Veterinary Dispensary, Gossaigaon. The forest team was led by Biswajit Basumatary, FRO, Sanfan Range.
The veterinary team chemically immobilised the elephant to facilitate a detailed examination and treatment. The entire operation was completed in around 30 minutes, following which the elephant was safely guided back into the forest.
Forest officials will continue to monitor the elephant closely in the coming days to assess her recovery and ensure that no further complications arise.
According to wildlife experts, snare traps are highly dangerous hunting devices that can cause deep wounds, tissue damage, fractures and prolonged suffering. Animals caught in such traps can eventually die if they are unable to free themselves or receive timely medical treatment.
Dr Daoharu Baro, Manager (Veterinary) at WTI, said the elephant had suffered a deep wound on her trunk caused by a tightly embedded wire snare.
“The injury resulted in significant soft-tissue damage and pus discharge. We carefully removed the wire, thoroughly cleaned the wound, removed dead tissue, applied antiseptic dressing and provided appropriate wound management,” Baro said.
Kachugaon Forest Division DFO Mustafizur Ali Ahmed praised the veterinary and forest teams for their prompt response and expertise.
He said locating the injured elephant had been challenging, with forest staff tracking her since the first sighting before the rescue and treatment could finally be carried out successfully.
Officials suspect that the elephant may have encountered the snare in areas along the forest fringe. The department said surveillance and preventive measures would be strengthened to prevent similar incidents in the future.
