ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2007-08 THE CAPTIVE ELEPHANT HEALTH CARE PROGRAM ASSAM, INDIA Principal Investigator and Author of the report Dr. K. K. Sarma Guwahati Program Administration Dr. Sujit P Bairagi. PhD Chairman Dolphin Foundation On Behalf of The Elephant Sanctuary A. Christy Williams, PhD Technical Advisor Implemented by : DOLPHIN FOUNDATION Supported by : River Valley, Borthakur Clinic Road, The Elephant Sanctuary, USA Kharghuli, Guwahati 781004, INDIA www.dolphinasia.org ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT OF THE CAPTIVE ELEPHANT HEALTH CARE PROGRAM, ASSAM, 2007-08 The fund for the financial year 2006-07 ended on 15th of June, 2007, so the financial year began on 16th June, 2007 and ended on 15th June, 2008. This progress report has been prepared to keep the funding agency updated on the progress made during the entire year of its execution as per the provision of the Memorandum of understanding. Elephant Health camps : As per the visions of the project, we have undertaken 61 outdoor trips (including several follow-up trips) and could render free health check up and treatment to 424 (actual number is around 300 since about 120 elephants were treated as follow-up) elephants during this period. Various medical procedures viz. surgical operations, on the spot haematological examinations, fecal examinations with appropriate deworming medication, foot care, vaccination against Haemorrhagic septicaemia, foot and mouth disease, rabies, tetanus etc. were undertaken and very good recovery responses were received in these camps. The figures pertaining to the camps are presented in the following table - Table 1-(A) : Health camps and follow-up done during 2007-08 Sl. Number of Date Name of place Zone Comment No elephants 1. 7.6.07 Rani South-west 2 2. 15.6.07 Doboka South 7 3. 30.6.07 Dhupdhara Western 12 4. 10.7.07 Mangoldoi North-Central 3 5. 20.7.07 Hojai South-central 1 Lakhimala 6. 22.7.07 Kuruwa North-central 2 7. 29.7.07 Chaygaon Central 1 On call 8. 2.8.07 Chaygaon Do 1 Follow up 9. 6&7.8.07 Sonitpur North-central 15 Camp 10. 11.8.07 Hojai South-central 4 Lakhimala 11. 19.8.07 Rani Do 2 12. 21.8.07 Sipajhar North-Central 8 13. 26.8.07 Sakhati, Goalpara South-west 12 Camp 14. 30.8.07 Chaygaon Central 2 15. 3.9.07 Kharupetia North-Central 4 16. 5.9.07 Dharapur Central 1 17. 6.9.07 Dharapur Central 1 Follow-up 1 Table 1-(B) : Health camps and follow-up done during 2007-08 Sl. Number of Date Name of place Zone Comment No elephants 18. 9.9.07 Kuruwa North-central 2 19. 19.9.07 Jagiroad Central 2 20. 22.9.07 Byrnihat Meghalaya 2 21. 30.9.07 Jagiroad Northern 2 Follow up 22. 6.10.07 Nalbari Central 2 23. 11.10.07 B. Chariali North-eastern 12 24. 24.10.07 Dhekiajuli Northern 1 25. 2.11.07 Boko Southern 14 26. 4.11.07 Hojai South-Central 4 Lakhimala 27. 5.11.07 Dhupdhara South-western 11 28. 8.11.07 B. Chariali North-eastern 4 29. 22.11.07 Sivasagar Eastern 21 30. 6.12.07 Barpeta Road(MNP) Western 22 31. 14.12.07 Rani South-central 4 32. 20.12.07 Dibrugarh Eastern 12 33. 28.12.07 Dhekiajuli Northern 2 34. 6.01.08 Goalpara Western 7 35. 8.01.08 Balipara, B. Pong Northern 12 36. 15.01.08 Amingaon Central 1 37. 16.01.08 Mangaldoi. North central 9 38. 19.1.08 Hojai, Lanka, Umrongso South-centra 4 24.01.08- Gabharu,Pratapgarh, and North-eastern 18 39. 26.1.08 Borgang TE 40. 21.2.08 Jakhalabandha South-central 1 41. 6.3.08 Balipara, B. Pong North central 12 42. 8.3.08 Hojai South-central 6 Lakhimala 43. 9.3.08 Chaygaon, B. Pong Northern 7 44. 12.3.08 Byrnihat Meghalaya 2 45. 15.03.08 Boko Central 1 46. 21.3.08 Boko Central 1 Follow up 47. 23.3.08 Kaliabor Eastern 3 48. 27.03.08 Hojai South-central 4 Lakhimala 49. 29.3.08 Gabharu Northern 12 50. 2.4.08 Doldoli, K. Anglong Southern 2 51. 7.4.08 Harmuti North-eastern 22 52. 15.4.08 Khudia,Nalbari Northern 2 53. 16.4.08 Nagaon Central 1 54. 17&18.4.08 KNP Cenral 52 55. 3.5.08 Udali, Lanka Southern 6 56. 4.5.08 Kaliabor Eastern 2 57. 7.5.08 Jagiroad Central 4 58. 11.5.08 Kharupetia, Nagaon Central 5 59. 17&18.5.08 Manas, Chirang Western 27 60. 25.5.08 Boko Western 2 61. 27.5.08 Goalpara Western 4 2 Photos of Elephant health camps Plate -1: 3 Photos of Elephant health camps Plate -2: 4 Project vehicle: The project vehicle has been a great help in conducting all these trips and the follow-up treatments, without a project vehicle, it could have been extremely difficult to accomplish. Previously many sick elephants could not be attended in time as we had to depend on hired vehicles, which is a costly affair and frequently not reliable. Now we have acquired a field worthy all terrain vehicle and this has greatly helped our mobility and also reduced the expenses, besides easing the tension of loading and unloading of our paraphernalia into the hired vehicles. So far, the vehicle has been smooth and has not given us any major trouble. At present we have driven the vehicle ourselves, but felt that driving the vehicle for long distances after conducting elephant healthcare camp is sometimes very tiring and may engage hired drivers for long distance driving in future. After the field trips, the vehicle gets really dirty and needs a good servicing (cleaning); and we have taken every possible care to get the car serviced and clean. Project personnel: Besides the project supervisor, several other established and young veterinarians worked for execution of the project on different occasions. They were Dr. (Ms) Munmun Sarma, Dr. K. B. DevChoudhury, Dr. Sajeesh Thomas, Dr. Abhijeet Bhowal, Dr. Suraj Kumar R., Dr. Hitesh Bayan and Dr. Sajesh, M.G Besides the service rendered by the local vets where the camps were conducted. Wherever follow up treatment was necessary, help from the local vets was taken. As far as practicable we informed the local vet about organization of the elephant healthcare camp in his locality, and in fact, many camps were actually arranged by them on our request. All the vets cooperated willingly and their cooperation is appreciated. Human resource development : Though in this region of India, we have the largest captive elephant population in the world, unfortunately, we do not have enough healthcare personnel for this very important elephant population. Our Captive Elephant Healthcare Program always bears it in mind and endeavors to involve as many young vets as possible in various camps to encourage, motivate and train them to take up doctoring of elephants. Since the beginning in 2003, we have involved at least twelve young vets in our program and they are now working in various wildlife healthcare fields. Training is required: The elephant management culture of the region is very primitive and the mahouts are mostly illiterate, poor and addicts, yet eager to do good for their elephants. Most of them have little knowledge about elephant foot care and the musth phenomenon in the bulls. It can bear some fruit to train the mahouts and the elephant owners regarding the basics of modern (preventive) elephant health care, foot care, management of musth, nutrition, road safety etc. while conducting our camps. For this, booklet can be published 5 in local language to distribute among them, and training can be conducted using modern audio-visual aids. The quality of living of the mahouts and their families is abysmally poor and this makes them indifferent for their elephants. It is a matter of great concern as without the active support and positive attitude of the mahouts the quality of life of the elephants can not be improved. As our program grows, we will have to pay due attention to this area as well. Constraints: We are overcoming majority of the constraints that we faced in the initial years while conducting the camps, yet some problems still exist. The common people are so used to highhandedness and exploitation by the authority that they find it hard to trust any benevolent attempt to help them and their elephants, and suspects for some official tricks. Therefore, we are trying to avoid official machineries in organization of the camps. Some vets in the field who helped us in organization of the camp in the initial years considers our free camps as a cause of loss of their practice and have even mislead us or the elephant owners on few occasions. We will have to think a solution to overcome this. Right now we are not in a position to completely take the responsibility of elephant healthcare and need the services of the local vets. To overcome this, we may think of some monetary incentives to the vets for follow up cases and the alternative option is to expand the scope of our program. In any case the local vets will always be needed and we will have to think ways to win their support, may be by organizing training program, providing some useful equipment and some financial incentives. We have started getting numerous calls for healthcare support of captive elephants probably for the free service besides the confidence that we could generate over the years.