Reported by Laxman Sharma
Digboi: The death of an elephant calf during a treatment camp in Upper Assam has prompted the Assam Forest Department to review its elephant healthcare protocols and its collaboration with external organisations involved in wildlife welfare initiatives.
According to Forest Department sources, the review follows the death of a 13-month-old elephant calf that underwent treatment during a health check-up camp conducted under the Doomdooma Forest Division in April. The calf reportedly died within 24 hours of the intervention, triggering concern among conservationists, wildlife activists, and local stakeholders.
Sources said the incident and the subsequent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the calf’s death have led the department to examine existing procedures governing elephant healthcare interventions involving external agencies.
Officials are also reviewing ongoing collaborations connected with elephant welfare programmes, though no official order regarding any organisation has been made public.
The incident has prompted calls for accountability and a transparent investigation into the treatment administered during the camp, as well as the oversight mechanisms governing wildlife healthcare activities carried out in partnership with non-governmental organisations.
Among the organisations associated with elephant healthcare initiatives in Assam is Wildlife SOS, a Uttar Pradesh-based NGO that has conducted veterinary camps under its Haathi Sewa programme. The initiative provides veterinary assistance to domestic elephants with the consent of their owners and has operated in several states across India.
Wildlife SOS has denied allegations that expired medicines, vaccines, or injections were used during the Doomdooma treatment camp.
In a statement issued following the controversy, Baiju Raj, Director of Conservation Projects at Wildlife SOS, said: “We categorically state that no expired medicines, vaccines, or injections were used during the treatment camp. All interventions were conducted in coordination with the Assam Forest Department, in the presence of authorised personnel, and in accordance with established veterinary protocols.”
According to the organisation, the Haathi Sewa programme has provided veterinary care to nearly 200 elephants across multiple states and focuses on preventive and emergency healthcare support for captive elephants.
Meanwhile, another elephant-related case remains unresolved in the Digboi Forest Division, where authorities are yet to recover a tusk allegedly removed from a wild elephant by poachers in the Lakhipathar Range near Dhuli Gaon.
Although two suspects were arrested in connection with the case, the missing ivory has not been recovered months after the arrests. Wildlife observers have noted that the tusk remains a crucial piece of evidence that could help investigators determine whether the case is linked to a wider poaching and trafficking network.
The situation has drawn comparisons with a previous elephant poaching case in the same range. In 2025, following the electrocution and poaching of a wild elephant, the Digboi Forest Division recovered a 1.6-foot-long ivory tusk weighing around 1.8 kilograms after a 19-day search operation.
The recovery was made from the residence of the prime accused, Nitul Moran of Upper Mamorani village, and was followed by the arrest of another accused, Ankur Moran.
Officials familiar with that investigation attributed the recovery to sustained intelligence gathering and follow-up operations. In contrast, the tusk linked to the latest Lakhipathar case remains untraced despite the arrest of two suspects.
Repeated attempts to obtain comments from senior Forest Department officials regarding the ongoing review and the status of the Lakhipathar investigation were unsuccessful.