A team of veterinarians will soon evaluate the health of an injured wild elephant which is staying in the water of the Idamalayar dam.
The Forest department constituted the committee on Friday.
The animal, which has been staying in the water for nearly two weeks, comes out occasionally for feeding on pineapple and palm leaves offered by Forest officials. During the late hours of the day, the animal moves out of the water to the landed area of the reservoir. One of the Forest veterinary surgeons had visited the animal on Friday, forest officials said.
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It was decided to discontinue one of the medicines given to the animal as it was suspected to have developed an allergic reaction. A white patch seen around its eyes was suspected to be an indication of the allergic reaction, said Suneel Pamidi, Divisional Forest Officer, Malayattoor. The health of the animal seemed to have improved. The course of treatment and rescue measures will be decided on the basis of the report of the expert committee, said Mr. Pamidi.
Two Forest officials had been posted near the water body to keep a watch on the animal. Arrangements for feeding the animal had also been made, said another forest official. Maneka Gandhi, former Union Minister for Environment and Forest, sought information on the health of the animal from V. Gopinath, the Chief of Forest Force, Kerala, on Thursday.
Meanwhile, DAYA, an NGO, has petitioned the authorities including Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and senior Forest officials to constitute a committee to formulate a plan for treating the animal.
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