Anant Ambani's 'Vantara', which has become an example of wildlife conservation in the country and the world, has once again shown a unique example of saving the lives of the voiceless. 'Joymoti', a 53-year-old female elephant who was seriously injured in the devastating floods in Nagaland and Assam, has been airlifted to Vantara in Jamnagar for better and specialized veterinary treatment. This is the first case of its kind in the history of India when an elephant has been airlifted to such a distance for treatment. Joymoti was seriously injured due to being swept away in the flood. Joymoti was swept away in the waters of the severe flood that occurred in Nagaland in the second week of last July, which was later pulled out safely with the help of government agencies and local people. However, he suffered many serious body injuries during this disaster. He had deep, worm-infested wounds on his forehead, right ear, stomach, thigh and genital area. Additionally, she is blind due to her right eye being badly damaged and her left hind leg is severely lame due to an old fracture sustained while chopping wood. Despite receiving normal first aid, his critical condition and advancing age required a super-specialty veterinary hospital. For the first time in India, an elephant was airlifted. To save the life of Joymoti, a tough decision was taken to bring her to Jamnagar by air instead of taking her by road. Air-transporting an elephant over such a long distance is the first operation of its kind in India, for which logistics and veterinary preparation were meticulously planned. On reaching Vantara, Joymothy is now undergoing a comprehensive medical evaluation and treatment for her injuries and eyes has started under the supervision of specialized doctors. Proposal to build three new wildlife hospitals in Assam This tragic incident at Joymoti has proved how important it is to have emergency medical facilities for wildlife in flood or natural disaster affected areas. Taking a step in this direction, Vantara in collaboration with the Government of Assam has proposed to set up three new wildlife veterinary care centers in the state, which will also include a dedicated center for elephants. All these centers will be operated completely independently by the Assam Forest Department, so that in future no wildlife will have to travel long distances for treatment.
