A volunteer helps take care of Bijlee lying inside the temporary shelter in Mumbai.
IANS/Mumbai
An animal lover here yesterday rued the manner in which some prominent animal rights groups were suddenly concerned by the plight of an ailing elephant, and using it to garner publicity.
“I request them not to shed crocodile tears for Bijlee, who is in our care and improving with each day of medication, proper diet and lots of love,” Animals Matter To Me (AMTM) chief Ganesh Nayak said.
Nayak claimed 11 days ago, when Bijlee collapsed on the road, he had called up several prominent animal organisations for help, but got no response.
“My organisation is mainly concerned with rescuing cats, dogs and other smaller animals. For us, lifting an elephant was truly a mammoth task, but we did it, and now she is recovering well,” Nayak said.
Irked by the manner in which some well-known large organisations including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) and Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) chose to wake up after so many days to express concern for Bijlee, Nayak alleged they are “now trying to cash in on our good work, claim credit and sideline AMTM.”
“We don’t need film stars who strip for them to make money but do not help where it is genuinely required; we need just one Amitabh Bachchan who promptly sent out appeals for us through his blog and Twitter,” Nayak said.
He said since the past 11 days, Bijlee, 54, was being kept strapped on a crane as she cannot stand or sit due to weak hind leg bones. Among other things, Bijlee is suffering from arthritis and cannot walk due to a large maggot-infested wound.
So far, she has been examined by veterinarians from Assam, Agra, Pune and very soon, experts from Kerala and Bangalore will also arrive, he said.
“I would like to inform and assure all animal lovers that AMTM has succeeded in the effort. Bijlee is responding very well to the treatment and is in a good mood,” Nayak declared.
He urged people to refrain from sending food or medicines to avoid duplication and instead donate money to fund her future treatment and rehabilitation.
Details are available on the website: www.amtmindia.org.
Nayak said that so far, AMTM and another animal rescue organisation, RAWW, have collected around Rs425,000 for Bijlee. They have spent Rs290,000 on her treatment at an industrial shed in Mulund suburb in northeast Mumbai.
Nayak vented his ire after Peta and FIAPO separately urged the Maharashtra government to confiscate Bijlee and send her to a rescue centre, cancel her ownership papers and ban elephants from moving on Mumbai roads.
Bijlee collapsed from overwork 11 days ago on the Bhandup-Mulund Link Road. She was taken around to beg, and grace occasions like weddings, when she was made to stand at the venue of the function and salute guests. She spent a long time standing, and was hardly allowed rest.