An injured elephant nicknamed ‘Yamgaj,’ who had been roaming the forests of Rautahat, received medical treatment on Thursday in the Hilekhola jungle. A team of veterinarians from the National Trust for Nature Conservation, Chitwan took care of the elephant after tranquilising it.

The medical team said that the elephant could have got the injury by either a bullet or a spear. ‘Yamgaj’ had been seen limping and struggling on village roads for several days before the treatment took place.

Amir Sadaula, a veterinarian from the Trust, explained that the elephant had a severe wound on the lower part of its right leg. The medical team spent an hour administering treatment, cleaning the wound, and applying antibiotics. “The infection from the wound had spread deep into the tissue, and we cleaned it before applying the necessary medication. It will take about a week for the wound to heal,” Sadaula said. He was accompanied by wildlife technician Tirtha Lama during the procedure.

Yamgaj had been resting in Parsa National Park but has been roaming the Rautahat jungle for the past two months. While the exact cause of the injury remains uncertain, Sadaula suspects it could be from a hunting incident. “It looks like it could be a gunshot wound,” he noted, although he clarified that it is difficult to confirm without further investigation.

Once the elephant has recovered from its injuries, the medical team plans to release it back into the wild.

The elephant was named ‘Yamagaj’ as it killed a woman in Amalekhgunj, Bara on the eve of Yama Panchak of the Tihar festival in October 2022. The victim went to the forest area to herd her goats and cattle. After the incident, a technical team from Chitwan National Park cut off its tusks.