Kerala’s Forest Department has ordered the airlift of an 18-month-old elephant calf, Maya, from Abhayaranyam to Vantara in Jamnagar for specialised medical care after she suffered multiple fractures and severe bone weakness.
Despite treatment, physiotherapy and calcium and vitamin D supplementation, she developed multiple fractures and eventually lost the ability to stand. Vantara’s Head Veterinarian Dr Yaduraj Khadpekar supported transferring her for intensive care. Kerala Chief Wildlife Warden Dr P Pugazhendi, IFS, ordered her transfer on November 5, following consultations with veterinary experts who recommended exploring further treatment options before considering euthanasia. Her condition deteriorated after she slipped while playing on July 2 this year, injuring her right shoulder. An examination on October 24 by a veterinary expert from the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pookode, found a fractured left humerus, multiple fractures in the right radius, generalised bone thinning, a chest infection and pressure sores. However, during consultations on November 4, Padma Shri Dr Kushal Konwar Sarma, an elephant veterinarian from Assam and Veterinary Advisor to Vantara, identified a possible parathyroid-related disorder that could respond to treatment.
A Kerala Monitoring Committee will oversee her progress, and Vantara will facilitate her return to Abhayaranyam after treatment. Her prognosis remains uncertain.
