Wildlife lovers have called for the rescue of an elephant in distress in a reserve forest close to Bengaluru. The wild elephant, called Sidda, had been injured after falling into a ditch a few months ago and he was treated by forest authorities for his injuries. But he is still not doing too well – and there are pleas for more help in the form of treatment, food and relocation for the ailing jumbo.
Sidda spends much of his time in the waters of the Manchanabele dam. The water probably relieves some of the pain, say those who visit him.
Sidda seems to prefer to be in the water – but he is also not always welcome in the sugarcane and ragi fields alongside the water. But he needs help and concerned animal lovers are not sure if he is getting it.
“They have to save that elephant. If they take it for treatment, that is enough for us. We don’t know if they are providing food or not. We came with Bangalore with food. All the authorities know about this problem but elephant is here for past one and a half months,” Dayanada, a concerned citizen, told NDTV.
Ritesh, another visitor, added, “We have been seeing it for about 40 days. It was normal at first, we didn’t know it was in such danger. But the last few weeks its condition is very bad. The sooner it is taken from here and treated, the better it will be.”
Karnataka’s forest minister, Ramanath Rai, said he knows about the elephant and its situation. “I am forming a committee of doctors, experts…We are providing food and medicine also…The situation has improved, health has improved, After the advice of the committee, I will send to rescue centre, transfer to rescue centre in Bannerghatta,” he said. Bannerghatta is a national park near Bengaluru which has a designated space for rescued elephants.