Sidda on the mend, gains weight on healthy diet

The wild elephant was badly injured when it fell into a ditch near Dodderi on August 30.

Mandya Ramanagaram 23_November_2016 : The injured wild elephant ‘Sidda’ is recovering at the Manchanabele reservoir on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

There’s good news for Sidda empathisers. The condition of the injured tusker that was languishing for weeks at the Manchanabele reservoir on the outskirts of Bengaluru, has significantly improved after the energy-rich food and healthcare provided to it.

Sidda was shifted to a kraal on November 10 and since then, his health has been looking up. The kraal (a temporary metal structure), built by the Madras Engineer Group and Centre, has a harness that gives support to the pachyderm.

The wild elephant eats over 250 kg of fruits and fodder every day and has noticeably gained weight. The sores on its body are healing and the swelling on the right leg has reduced, said D. Manjunath, Deputy Conservator of Forests (Ramanagaram).

Speaking to

The Hindu over phone on Wednesday, the official said Sidda’s recovery was beyond their expectations.

However, the tusker still has some health issues.

“In spite of all possible treatment, formation of pus is continuing,” Mr. Manjunath said.

According to Wildlife SOS vets, sight in the left eye is either poor or not there at all, and treatment for it is imperative.

The department, “right now”, has no plans to summon experts to treat the elephant or to take X-rays to determine the extent of fracture in the leg, said Mr. Manjunath.

The wild elephant was badly injured when it fell into a ditch near Dodderi on August 30. He was in the backwaters of Manchanabele reservoir for nearly 55 days.

From October 21 to November 9, the elephant lay on its left side on the reservoir bed.