Medical Report (12/23/98)

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A preliminary report on the physical condition and veterinary treatment of the Makhna elephant housed at the Mudumalai Elephant Camp

By James Mahoney, D.V.M., Ph. D.
Research Professor
New York University School of Medicine

Personal Background

I am a veterinarian of 33 years’ standing with a Ph. D. in Physiology. For the past 20 years I have been employed at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP), a biomedical research facility belonging to New York University Medical Center, which is involved in vaccine development and testing, as well as in other types of human-related research. I have had a dual role; one, as Senior Veterinarian in charge of the health care of approximately 250 chimpanzees and over 300 monkeys, the other as Deputy Director, and later as Director of the laboratory. I am also a Research Professor on the faculty of the New York University Scool of Medicine.

This was my second visit to India. My first, in 1980, was as a consultant to the Indian Institute of Science, in Bangalore, and the All-India Institute of Medicine in Delhi, where I trained research technicians in certain scientific procedures. LEMSIP had had a longstanding relationship with these two institutions and had trained several veterinarians over the years in Primate Medicine and Surgery, and in research procedures. I have been personally involved in longstanding collaborative studies in the area of contraceptive development with Indian scientists in both institutes.

This, my second trip to India, at the request of India Project for Animals and Nature (IPAN), one of several projects run by Global Communications for Conservation, Inc., based in new York City, was to evaluate their programs of spay/neuter, rabies vaccination, and mange management of village dogs in a large area of South India. This organization also provides the only veterinary health service available, free of charge, to farm animals in the area.

During an orientation session with Ms. Deanna Krantz (Project Director) and Dr. Michael Fox (Project Consultant) in Washington, D.C., prior to my departure for India, I became aware of a situation involving a wild elephant which had been captured in the region of the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The makhna (tuskless) elephant, estimated to be 35-40 years of age by Sanctuary staff, had been captured, and then transferred, after a 40-km, five-day march, shackled by foot chains and guided by five kumki (helper) elephants, to the Elephant Camp at the Wildlife Sanctuary at Mudumalai in mid-July of this year, where he has remained eversince, contained in an 18’ x 18’ (internal dimensions) enclosure (kraal) constructed of teak logs, and roofed by tarpaulins.

I saw an officially made videotape of the capture and forced march of the elephant. I also saw videotapes of the wounds caused to the elephant’s legs by the shackle chains and abscesses of his left flank and upper left foreleg caused, it would appear from the capture tape, by the tusk gores of helper elephants involved in the transport process.

I first observed the elephant on December 8, 1998, and visited him daily thereafter, until December 20, to administer treatment to him, which I did in collaboration with the staff of the Forestry Department working at the Elephant Camp. The following is a summary report of my findings and the treatment schedule I developed and instituted.

Physical Condition

Left Forefoot: A deep annular wound, approximately 3” wide, encircles the foot below the fetlock, which is infected and granulated. An irregularly shaped (8” x 4 1/2 “) erosion of infected and granulated skin tissue occurs above, and is connected to, the annular wound on the antero-lateral aspect of the foot. From the centre of this wound protrudes a cauliflower-shaped stump of a herniated, severed tendon (protruding approximately 4”). It is my understanding that this tendon, which herniated through the chain-injured foot, was cut and the stump then cauterized by the attending veterinarian.

Right Forefoot: A deep annular wound almost completely encircles the foot just above the fetlock. One toenail is completely missing on the medial aspect, and this site exudes a thick, cream-colored pus from a deep fissure. There appears not to be normal flexor movement of the fetlock joint of this foot.

Left Hindfoot: Scarred remains of an annular wound to this foot, just above the fetlock, can be seen, but the lesions are in an advanced stage of healing. A deep, split-like fissure of the heel (several inches deep), can be seen just above the ventral surface of the foot, on the posterior aspect. A necrotic, partially sloughed toenail can be seen on the lateral surface of this foot.

Right Hindfoot: A deep, heavily-infected, irregularly-shaped erosion of the skin of the antero-lateral surface of the foot (approximately 9 1/2” x 9”), and a second, somewhat smaller (4 1/2” x 4 1/2”), but also heavily infected erosion can be seen on the posterior surface of the foot. Two toenails are missing on this foot.

The distal third of this leg is swollen and the skin is taught and devoid of surface wrinkles (further reflecting the state of swelling of the underlying tissues). The elephant constantly lifts this leg, and rests the foot against the lateral aspect of the left hind leg, in obvious attempts to relieve pressure and discomfort to the leg.

In general, the skin of all four feet is heavily cracked and fissured, and the arch-shaped cutaneous junctions above the toenails are strikingly fissured and cracked, compared to the smooth arcades of normal elephants’ feet.

Flank and Upper Leg Abscesses: On the left flank and posterior aspect of the upper left foreleg are four (4) abscesses, and a fifth abscess is situated on the inner aspect of the left foreleg, just below the axilla. The most superior of the abscesses on the left flank is almost healed; the other abscesses track deeply into the subcutaneous tissues and exude heavy discharges of a thick, cream-colored, nonodorous pus. The third and forth abscesses communicate with each other through a subcutaneous tract measuring approximately 15 cm. in length.

Treatment History

I gathered from information provided me by Sanctuary staff that the treatment of the elephant over the preceeding five months had been, on the whole, rather spotty and inconsistent. It included several isolated injections of penicillen G, an antibiotic with a very narrow spectrum against bacterial flora, particularly Gramm negative organisms, and the irrigation of abscesses by saline solution, intrusion of ungloved probing fingers, and the use of nonsterile probing instruments which would have undoubtedly helped track infection into the deeper tissues.

Apparently there was a 10-day period during which no treatment was given at all. Nonetheless, it would appear that improvement in general condition of lesions was obtained prior to my arrival. It became patently obvious to me, however, that without a concerted plan of treatment that could be applied daily, and optimal nutrition, which was not, by my understanding, being provided before IPAN became involved, one could not expect a resolution of the elephant’s health, and, in fact, a high risk existed that his condition could rapidly decline at any moment.

Daily Treatment Schedule

A daily treatment schedule was developed which consisted of wound cleaning and necrotic/infected tissue debridement, abscess drainage, irrigation and replacement of drainage gauzes, application of hot compresses (bran mash and sand poultices) to abscessed areas, and parenteral antibiotic therapy (Cloxycillin I.M. at a dosage of 11 mg/Kg body weight, for an estimated weight of 3,500 Kg). Antibiotic treatment was scheduled to cover a 10-day period, initially, but the treatment schedule was later extended to cover a 15-day period.

Prognosis and Recommendations

The injuries to all four feet are serious and of a chronic nature. Total healing cannot be expected to occur in less than a six to twelve-month period, and only then with continuation of a well -structured and rigidly instituted course of treatment along the lines outlined above. It is my considered opinion, based on thirty years’ experience of treating chronic, severe wounds in a variety of species, that this elephant will never fully recover normal function of his legs. In particular, the fetlock joint of the right foreleg is almost certainly permanently damaged and ankylosed. It cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty what the outcome maybe for the feet which have missing, or badly damged, toenails. The marked swelling of the lower part of the right hindleg suggests an extensive, deep-seated, low-grade infection of tendons and ligamentous structures. The extensive, deep fissures and cracks of all four feet expose the deeper tissues to a strong likelihood of developing foot rot (Fusiformis spp.) which could have life-threatening consequences for the elephant.

Beside daily treatment to prevent this from happening, the only other practical course of action is to provide a dry floor bed for the elephant to stand on. Under presently existing conditions, the sand floor of the kraal is in a permanent state of wetness because of urine voiding and drinking water spills. The elephant has endured these conditions for five months already! The constantly humid conditions provide the perfect climate for foot rot to occur. The only practical way to alleviate this situation would be to provide the elephant additional space by extending the kraal. This would not only secure drier floor conditions, but would also afford the opportunity for greater exercise, thereby strengthening his muscles and tendons, as well as providing him a degree of physiotherapy otherwise unattainable by human care-givers. The risk of the elephant’s developing foot rot cannot be emphasized enough.

Additional Observations

I must take this opportunity to comment on an extreme case of cruel and inhumane treatment of the elephant that I, along with a member of the IPAN team, observed. This incident occured on 9 December. We arrived at the elephant’s kraal at 8 a.m. to find training procedures by two mahouts being carried out. According to them, as translated for me by Mr. Nigel Otter of IPAN, the mahouts had been instructed by superiors to begin training so that the elephant could be released from the kraal, within 20 days, wearing foot-shackle chains for control. The object of the training procedure was, apparently, to make the elephant lie down or “sleep”, thereby indicating that he was then sufficiently under human control to permit his safe “release”.

For approximately 45 minutes, I observed two mahouts “training” the elephant by beating him with supple sticks. An audiotape recording reveals that the elephant was struck at least 387 times over an eleven-minute period (a very conservative count), mostly on the lower parts of all four legs, which, as my above report indicates, were severely injured, but also on the left flank and upper foreleg region which again, as indicated above, had severe abscess lesions. Many of the strikes were directly on the wounded areas. I have photographic evidence of these beatings.

The elephant became reduced to leaning sideways against the restraining bar, provided as protection of the mahouts, and partially supporting himself with his trunk against one of the wooden bars in the fron of the kraal, while he resisted being brought down to his knees. He cried lamentably during these beatings, as can be clearly heard on the tape recording, and his face and eyes cringed with obvious anguish and distress. It is hard to express this scene in the cold, clinical terms acceptable to science, but I must say, in all honesty, that this was the most touching and cruel scene I have ever witnessed. I have always prided myself as being a rational, unemotional scientist, interested only in truth: I shall not rest until this injustice against a sentient non-human creature, which is an affront to all in this world who care about decency and compassion, is addressed.

James Mahoney, D.V.M., Ph. D.

• Prepared on 23 December, 1998, from handwritten notes made 19 December, 1998, before leaving India.

ADDENDUM

It is my understanding that since my departure from India (December 20, 1998), Dr. Krishnamurthy has put a stop to antibiotic therapy, and has opened up several of the healing wounds, reverting to the nonsterile, infection-spreading procedures outlined in the report above.

Furthermore, the Wildlife Warden, Mr. Udhayan, informed Ms. Deanna Krantz, IPAN Director, that the services of IPAN are no longer permitted on the grounds of the Elephant Camp. This pronouncemnet was made on Christmas Day. Since then, according to Ms. Krantz, the elephant has not been given adequate food on a regular basis, as apparent from food supplies that remain to be picked up from contracted growers. It is my understanding, too, that an Indian donor, whom I met and had long discussions with, has committed to construct, at his own expense, an extension to the elephant’s kraal to provide him more adequate living space for the reasons I have outlined in the above report.

It appears that the responsible authorities are preparing to go ahead with plans to remove the elephant from his kraal with ropes around his neck attached to two tusker elephants who will assist in “breaking” him so that he can then be put to work giving rides to tourists visiting the Wildlife Sanctuary. Thsi treatment, bad enough for a healthy untrained elephant, will be intolerable for an adult like himself, who is injured, physically weak, and undernourished. Tragically, one must recognise that, in the words of Sanctuary workers, beating and borderline starvation are part of the techniques used at the Elephant Camp to train new recruits.

James Mahoney, D.V.M., Ph. D.
Research Professor
New York University School of Medicine
December 29, 1998