Lifestyle disease tests, health cards for captive elephants in Keralam

By The Hindu Staff

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Lifestyle disease tests, health cards for captive elephants in Keralam — Photo credit: The Hindu

Veterinarian P.S. Rajeev examines a captive elephant at a medical camp organised by the Kerala Elephant Owners Federation in Thrissur on Friday. | Photo Credit: K.K. NAJEEB

Diabetes, cholesterol, and kidney ailments are no longer concerns confined to humans. Keralam’s captive elephants are now being put through an equally detailed health check-up, as a new preventive-care initiative seeks to understand and address health problems behind a worrying pattern of elephants sudden collapsing and dying.

The Kerala Elephant Owners Federation, with technical support from the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), organised an extensive medical camp at the Sree Vadakkunnathan temple in Thrissur on Friday. Seventeen elephants brought from different parts of the State underwent the first round of screening.

The team of veterinarians led by T.S. Rajeev, Professor, Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension, and Director of Entrepreneurship at KVASU, conducted the examinations.

Though health examinations of captive elephants have been conducted earlier, the scale and range of investigations undertaken at the camp make this an unusually comprehensive exercise. The elephants were screened for blood sugar, cholesterol and creatinine levels, besides the functioning of their liver and kidneys.

Originally published by The Hindu on Oct 17, 2026 Read the full article at thehindu.com

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