Agra: An ambulance, specially designed to ferry or rescue ailing elephants, is expected to hit the city streets shortly.
The vehicle, which can transport jumbos weighing upwards of 5,000kg, is similar to a normal ambulance. It is equipped with a medicinal kit, emergency tools and syringe storage units. Besides, a veterinary can also conduct minor operations on an elephant in emergency situations.
Sanjeev Jain, ?who designed the ambulance, said, “The vehicle was customized on a specific demand made by Wildlife SOS and is one of its kind in the country at present. It is 15 feet long, 8 feet wide and 11.5 feet in height, with two air-conditioned cabins for veterinary and his assistant.”
Coordinator of Wildlife SOS Baiju Raj said, “The ambulance is good enough to ferry elephants who are either being exploited by circus owners or have been suffering from a prolonged illness in jungles.”?
A trial run will be conducted and if successful, we might order another couple of such ambulances, he added.
?The ambulance, which was built in collaboration with a vehicle design company, cost Rs 50 lakh. The chassis of the vehicle is made of steel instead of customary aluminium or iron.