Now Reading: Assam elephant with hacked tusks undergoes critical dental surgery
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Assam elephant with hacked tusks undergoes critical dental surgery
A 16-year-old male elephant in Assam's Dibrugarh district has undergone a critical dental procedure five months after poachers sawed off both its tusks near the roots. The elephant, Mangal Singh, owned by…
A 16-year-old male elephant in Assam's Dibrugarh district has undergone a critical dental procedure five months after poachers sawed off both its tusks near the roots. The elephant, Mangal Singh, owned by an individual in Margherita town, had suffered life-threatening injuries and exposed pulp cavities in April, sparking outrage over the security of privately owned elephants.
A team led by Bhaskar Choudhury of the Wildlife Trust of India's Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation performed a partial pulpotomy at the Dhulijan forest area on Wednesday. The procedure removed infected nerve tissue and sealed the cavities to prevent further infection. The team will provide post-operative care for seven days. Officials said keeping the elephant in familiar surroundings was key to avoiding stress.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The case exposes a gap in wildlife protection for captive elephants, which fall under a regulatory patchwork between forest departments and individual owners. Under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, captive elephants require registration, but enforcement of anti-poaching measures on private property is weak. The Assam government has recorded over 50 elephant poaching incidents in the past decade, mostly for ivory. Mangal Singh's survival now depends on infection control in the coming weeks, with the forest department monitoring the site for any repeat attempts.
Source: thehindu.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
