Digboi: More than three months after poachers hacked off both its tusks, domesticated elephant Mangal Singh continues to battle serious health complications, with local residents, activists and the mahout calling for its immediate transfer to Kaziranga for specialised treatment.
The elephant is currently undergoing treatment at Inthem village under the care of its owner, with assistance from government veterinary teams. However, the mahout and local residents said Mangal Singh continues to suffer from a severe tooth infection caused by the tusk-chopping and has shown little improvement despite months of treatment.
Veterinary sources said the absence of portable diagnostic facilities has become a major challenge in treating the elephant. According to them, Mangal Singh has not undergone an X-ray examination as the required equipment is unavailable at the government veterinary hospital.
The sources said the diagnostic facility is expected to become available only after about two weeks and warned that undiagnosed complications could worsen the elephant’s condition. They said immediate access to advanced diagnostic facilities and specialist veterinary care was necessary, strengthening calls for the elephant’s transfer to Kaziranga.
The mahout and local residents said the existing treatment had failed to produce the desired results and urged the Assam government to shift the elephant to Kaziranga, where specialised wildlife veterinarians and advanced medical facilities are available.
Public criticism has also been directed at the Digboi Forest Division. Some residents alleged that the department had not taken adequate steps to ensure Mangal Singh’s rehabilitation and questioned why the elephant had not yet been moved for specialised treatment.
Wildlife activist Devajit Moran alleged that the Digboi Forest Division had failed to ensure the elephant’s long-term rehabilitation and to carry the investigation into the case to its logical conclusion. He said the ivory tusks removed during the April 2026 attack had not been recovered and sought an independent review of both the elephant’s treatment and the progress of the investigation.
Mangal Singh, owned by Hunjoy Duaniya of Margherita and cared for by mahout Latu Moran, was brutally attacked in April 2026 when poachers allegedly took advantage of torrential rain to saw off both its ivory tusks as it rested in the Dhulijan (Dhuligaon) forest area of Lakhipathar under the Digboi Forest Division in Tinsukia district. The incident triggered widespread outrage and renewed concerns over organised wildlife crime in Assam.
The Assam Forest Department registered a wildlife offence and deployed veterinary teams for emergency treatment. However, the stolen ivory tusks remain unrecovered and no major breakthrough in the investigation has been announced.
Residents, conservationists and animal welfare advocates have appealed to the State Government to intervene, shift Mangal Singh to Kaziranga for specialised treatment and intensify the investigation into the poaching case.