Six years ago, Wildlife SOS was called upon to examine five sloth bears that were seized in Ranchi, Jharkhand, during an anti-poaching operation. Little did the team know that there was a frail giant in the forest that needed urgent medical attention as well. The tall tusker was in a tremendously fragile state. Aware of our expertise in elephant care, the Jharkhand Forest Department made the decision to send the pachyderm to our Elephant Conservation and Care Centre (ECCC). Once he arrived, this bull elephant was named Ramu, and under the umbrella of Wildlife SOS, his journey towards true healing began.
[Photo (c) Wildlife SOS/ Mradul Pathak]
Ramu had suffered a fall in the forest, which resulted in a fractured left hind leg and an abnormal gait. Initially, Ramu could barely walk without lifting his affected leg up in discomfort. Each step he took was a painful reminder of the trauma he endured. However, under our intensive care and affection, Ramu received regular laser therapy, medicated foot baths, liver tonics, and essential supplements like multivitamins to strengthen his bones. This routine significantly helped Ramu to heal.
While the fractured bone in his hind leg fused and healed, his gait retains a slight irregularity. However, Ramu walks at a comfortable pace, and even breaks into short runs when excited! He takes multiple rounds of his vast field, and there’s a carefully calculated reason behind this — Ramu indulges in many mud baths as he strolls, more during the summers. Not only does this help him to escape the heat, the mud shields his skin from harsh rays of the sun as well, acting like a cool sunscreen. As part of our summer management protocol, sprinklers in his field turned on, adding more mud for him to pick up.
[Photo (c) Wildlife SOS/ Vineet Singh]
And that’s not all! Ramu has more tricks up his trunk. He calls out to his caregivers by letting out trumpets, and as soon as they arrive, he blows out the mud collected in his trunk, leaving the staff drenched in what Ramu loves to splatter on himself!
Mud serves another essential role for Ramu. His enclosure is equipped with high mud beds that let him get up and lay down without straining his body. To keep his footpads comfortable as he moves, caregivers also make sure to regularly plough the earth to keep it soft. Ramu also enters his pool for frequent dips. These serve as hydrotherapy sessions for him, allowing him to relieve the weight of his body from his limbs.
[Photo (c) Wildlife SOS]
At times, Ramu strategically uses his tusks to lift and move around the wooden logs kept in his enclosure, showing off his might and intelligence. His enclosure is equipped with different kinds of enrichments, from hanging haynets to feeder boxes and flag poles, each keeping this bull engaged, mentally and physically. These enrichments are always placed at a height to make it easy for Ramu to access them. He puts his trunk to good use for his favourite treasure hunt, which is to pull out stalks of sugarcane from the hanging haynet. Ramu always goes for sugarcane first before reaching out for other delights. One of his new favourites includes millet, which at times he picks out before anything else – a testament to his evolving palate.
When Ramu arrived at ECCC, he was 19 years old and was severely underweight at 2000 kg; his distinctly protruding spine made that evident. Ramu’s malnourished state was therefore a top concern for our veterinarians. An extensive diet plan was charted out for him, but we simply could not follow it because Ramu turned out to be a picky eater! Among all that was offered, Ramu would only eat Bengal gram powder balls. However, with time and gentle caresses by his caregivers, he began to welcome nourishing food. These days, he delightfully munches on luscious watermelons, sugarcanes, dates and banana leaves. He vocally demands for the cooked concentrate that we serve as his daily meal! Lush green fodder is always available to him. Our team is happy to note that the 25-year-old pachyderm now weighs a healthy 3400 kg.
Like most adult bull elephants in the wild, Ramu lived a solitary life. But ever since he was introduced to love and care that helped him heal, he has fondly formed a lovely bond with his caregiver. Often, as the caregiver arrives in his enclosure, Ramu goes ahead to tug him with his trunk! Along with this is another friendship he treasures. He greets Priyanka, his neighbouring elephant, as he passes by..
Feature image: Vineet Singh/ Wildlife SOS
