Jaipur : Jaipur: Clouds of crisis are fast looming over elephant tourism in Amer. The reason for this is the decreasing number of elephants here and deteriorating health. Elephant number 109 Tami, who was ill for 20 days, died two days ago, raising questions about its care. According to the information received, 4 elephants have died due to disease in the last one year. Talking about the last 4 years, about a dozen elephants have died due to lack of treatment. Tami’s owner Asif told that after returning from the rotation of the palace, she remained lethargic for a few days. Doctors checked and gave medicines, but could not save him. He was suffering from stomach related disease. Here the doctors told that Tami died due to colon infection. This disease usually occurs due to stomach infection, one of the reasons for this is eating the slimy soil of a new pond, which spoils their digestion. Their feces do not come out of the stomach.
Mahavat said – every day they feed khichdi of one kilo of chyawanprash, millet, wheat, jaggery and turmeric.
Elephants have been living in Amer since the princely state. They started riding much later and since then they have been eating sugarcane and bitters. For the last few years, they have also been fed African grass. Chairman of Hathi Village Development Committee, Ballu Khan said that there is no shortage in the care of an elephant. 65 elephants live in the village. Along with sugarcane and bitters, they feed them African grass grown specifically for elephants every day. They are given vitamins, calcium and minerals.
Question to senior wildlife doctor Dr. Arvind Mathur
Q. What will you say about the elephants continuously falling ill in the elephant village?
– We organize two medical camps in a year. Let us explain to the mahouts. They provide free insecticides, minerals etc.
Q. Tami died two days ago at the age of 39. She was ill, could not be saved – what was the reason?
-She was ill since Diwali. He had a disease called infectious colon. Elephants eat soil. Many times infection occurs due to fodder, hence they are asked to give medicine for stomach worms every three months.
Q. Four elephants died of disease in one year, even though they were less than 40?
-The age of elephant is 60 to 70 years. Earlier he used to take bath in the pond of Amer, which was natural. There is a lot of clay in the pond built near the village, which they eat while bathing due to which they fall ill. By the way, all the elephants have died of different diseases. The work of elephant conservation is with the Forest Department. The Archeology Department only gives permission for riding. This year, foreign tourists are coming less so that one elephant can have three rotations. There are currently 68 elephants registered in Amer.
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