The State government will take necessary measures to give the best possible treatment to Parvathy, the 26-year-old elephant of Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, said Finance Minister P. T. R. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan here on Sunday.
He was speaking to media persons after a team of veterinary doctors, who had flown from Thailand to examine the pachyderm for its eye ailment on the temple premises
“I noticed the problem on her left eye first about six years back. Now, the right eye has been affected too. We have been treating her with the best doctors and medical facilities so far. We will continue to do so,” the Minister said.
The team comprising seven doctors headed by Dr. Nikorn Thongthip, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Thailand examined Parvathy and discussed her condition with the Minister. The team had been giving medical advice through video-conferencing thus far, noted Mr. Thiaga Rajan.
“When I asked the doctors if there has been a similar diagnosis of eye ailment due to cataract in young elephants, they said a six-year-old elephant treated for a similar ailment was still able to lead a good life,” he said.
“On discussing the possibility of cataract surgery, we were told by the doctors that it would be challenging to prevent further damages during the post-surgery period. Doctors said that proper treatment can be given to prevent further aggravation of the disease. However, there has been no major improvement in the elephant’s eyesight,” said Mr Palanivel.
He added that the doctors said that the elephant would be able to manage quite well, given that she lives in a familiar place among familiar people. When asked about the cause for the ailment, he said that the doctors said that it could either be a genetic issue or due to any injury in its early years.
Another team of doctors from Chennai would visit the temple to examine her on Monday, he added.
Earlier, Mr Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Mayor Indrani Pon Vasanth and Collector S. Aneesh Sekhar fed Parvathy with watermelons, jaggery, carrots etc.
According to P. Bose Rajan, the mahout of the pachyderm, who takes care of her along with his son, the elephant was two-years-old when it came to the temple from Arunachal Pradesh.
“The calm and friendly elephant is a star attraction among the devotees and tourists”, he added.
Temple Joint Commissioner K Chelladurai, Deputy Commissioner A. Arunachalam and others were present.
