India's first mobile clinic for captive elephants launched at Assam's Kaziranga National Park

Guwahati: A mobile clinic only for elephants, said to be the country's first such facility, was launched at Kaziranga National Park in Assam on Monday.

The clinic to be operated by Wildlife SOS, an NGO, with the help of forest departments across the country, would provide medical assistance to captive elephants in need of care and help.

"An expert team of veterinarians and caregivers will assist blind and handicapped elephants on-field with issues such as lameness, foot infections, gastrointestinal diseases, and joint swelling and pain, to name a few. The clinic is part of Wildlife SOS’ larger ‘begging elephant campaign,’ where it will provide medical outreach to exploited captive elephants commercially used for begging on streets," the Wildlife SOS said in statement.

The NGO said the mobile clinic, named as Haathi Sewa, was launched during a health and treatment camp for elephants at Kaziranga conducted with the state forest department. More than captive elephants, mostly used for anti-poaching vigil and patrolling in Kaziranga, were provided health check-ups and medical assistance. The camp will also be conducted in Manas National Park, another important Asian elephant reserve in Assam.

“We are proud to finally launch India’s first elephant mobile health clinic with the target of providing medical outreach, treatment and care. With this initiative we wish to treat elephants throughout the country in dire need of medical intervention,” said Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS.

Geeta Seshamani, Co-founder and Secretary, Wildlife SOS said the clinic will cater to many captive elephants which remain deprived of treatment and care, and live in miserable conditions. "As a result, many of them die prematurely. We launched the mobile clinic with the exact aim of preventing these unnecessary deaths.”

Director of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, Sonali Ghosh said, “It is a remarkable moment that a novel initiative like India’s first elephant mobile clinic was launched from Kaziranga.”