Captive elephants to get regular health check-ups in Keralam

Captive elephants in Keralam will soon undergo a comprehensive health screening, including tests for diabetes, cholesterol, kidney and liver function, amid growing concerns over the increasing number of elephant deaths in recent years.

The Kerala Elephant Federation is organising medical camps for captive elephants in Thrissur, Kottayam, and Kollam. The first camp will be held at the Annadanam Mandapam of the Sree Vadakkunnathan temple in Thrissur from Friday morning.

At least 25 elephants are expected to take part in the first camp. Veterinary doctors will conduct detailed examinations and collect blood, urine and dung samples for laboratory analysis. The findings will be recorded on individual health cards that will be issued to the elephants.

The initiative comes against the backdrop of an increase in cases of captive elephants collapsing suddenly and dying, according to federation president K.B. Ganesh Kumar and secretary K. Mahesh. The proposed screening will cover parameters such as blood sugar, cholesterol and creatinine, besides assessing liver and kidney function.

Identifying early

The federation is considering making the camps a regular health-monitoring system, with examinations planned once every six months. Regular screening, the organisers believe, could help identify underlying health problems at an early stage and enable timely veterinary intervention.

The declining population of captive elephants in Kerala has added urgency to the need for systematic health monitoring. With each elephant loss further shrinking an already declining population, the federation believes that preventive health care and regular medical monitoring should become an integral part of captive-elephant management in the State.