Veterinary personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force carried out an emergency procedure on an elephant calf with a gunshot wound in the Herathgama Wildlife Zone, stepping in while wildlife veterinarians continue a trade union campaign, Daily Mirror reported on Tuesday.
The calf was found in critical condition near the upper reaches of Nikawewa and Thibbatuwawewa, and was described as struggling between life and death because of the injury.
The armed forces team reached the location on the evening of August 12 and treated the animal there. Daily Mirror published its account of the operation six days later, on August 18.
The operation
The procedure was carried out on the instructions of the commanders of the three armed forces, according to Daily Mirror. Personnel came from the Welisara Naval Base, Air Force bases at Katunayake and Sigiriya, and the Sri Lanka National Guard under the Army’s 57 Division.
The team removed maggots and pus from a wound on the calf’s right leg. Wildlife officials said an X-ray examination would be needed to establish whether the injury had caused internal damage.
The calf was expected to be moved to the Herathgama Wildlife Office for further treatment and protection.
Daily Mirror did not report who shot the animal, whether an investigation has been opened, or the calf’s condition since the procedure.
The strike behind it
Wildlife veterinarians have been running a work-to-rule campaign since June 1 over allowances, grading and staffing. The Environment Ministry said it would draw on armed forces veterinary officers to keep emergency treatment running outside normal hours — an arrangement reported on August 17, after this operation took place.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa told the parliamentary climate caucus this month that the Department of Wildlife Conservation has 17 veterinary surgeons against an approved cadre of 33.
