Tripura: Ailing Pratima and son Manik transferred to Vantara in Gujarat for treatment

Ailing mother and son Pratima and Manik Lal have finally found a better place to be taken care of. Thanks to the efforts of Kuntala Sinha, an animal activist and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), the mother elephant, Pratima and her calf Manik Lal, both of whom required immediate medical help, have now been transferred to Vantara, the rehabilitation and animal care centre spread across over 3000 acres in Jamnagar, Gujarat from Tripura.

News reports citing a PETA PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) statement said that examination revealed that Pratima was emaciated and had sustained multiple abscesses on her body. Her left foreleg was swollen, and she was unable to bear her bodyweight on it and was limping. She also had sustained multiple injuries to her abdomen and was suffering from a lack of muscle mass that had caused her backbone to become arched.

As per PETA, the man who was the so called owner of Pratima, did not have an ownership certificate for the elephants and thus violated section 42 of The Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972.

The entire matter was brought to light by Kuntala Sinha, general secretary of an organisation called Go Green and Help Stray Animals after she came to know about the plight of Pratima, and Manik Lal through social media. She visited Kailashahar where Pratima and Manik were.

Later, she sought the intervention of the Tripura forest and wildlife department, PETA and Maneka Gandhi.

After Sinha approached Vantara, a three-member team was sent from there to Kailashahar to look into the matter. Both the elephants were taken to Vantara earlier this week following a series of discussions including the elephant’s owner.

Vantara, a mega wildlife preservation project has been launched by Anant Ambani, younger son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, earlier this year. Vantara is well equipped with the latest technologies and space to treat large animals like elephants.