On February 23, 2024, we received information from the local community that one elephant calf had been caught in a snare and abandoned by its mother group. Based on that information, our team went to the location and monitored the elephant calf.
By looking at the wounds at the time our team found her, she might already be trapped in the wire snare for roughly around 2-3 months.
Upon monitoring, a decision was made. The elephant calf had to be rescued and taken to the Elephant Rescue Unit (ERU) Tegalyoso camp for further treatment.
The team was able to rescue a year wild elephant calf who was trapped in a snare trap. She was badly injured as her front leg was snared, and the snare has cut deep into the carpal joint.
As soon as she arrived, the KHS veterinarian came to the ERU Tegalyoso camp to carry out intensive treatment, and for us to be able to conduct needed examinations and treatments, she needed to be restrained.
For initial examinations and treatments, we must sedate her in a standing position. We measured her for bodyweight calculation, to be able to calculate the drug dosage. We also took blood samples from her for lab examinations before I.V. Fluids, electrolytes, amino acids and vitamins were administered.
She was in a dehydrated condition. She was also a little bit emaciated, however she has a very good appetite. Aside from the wound, her condition is overall normal.
From her lab examinations result, we found out that she has anemia. Hence aside from wound treatment, we also did some regular treatment and gave her proper food nutrition for her to gain more weight as well as curing her anemia.
Now, after months of treatment, Cantika, the name we gave her, can fully recover from the wound. She is already in good shape and able to adapt to the surroundings and presence of people.
Full video on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StT32aNWiwQ
