PL719

For the past few weeks schools have been closed across our district due to the unusually cold winter weather, but the inevitable day came on Monday and the classroom doors were once again opened.

Armed with hot water bottles, jackets, gloves and scarves our children returned to their lessons, picking up right where they left off. With March and the end of the school year fast approaching our students are all preparing for final examinations.

With so much growth in our school over the last few years, now just under 700 students, the road to school has become a bustling highway each morning and afternoon. As a surge of motorcycles, cars, busses, rickshaws, vans, bicycles and pedestrians fill the street we are all too aware of the potential dangers present.

In an effort the help counter this we requested our local police station to host a Public Road Safety discussion for our students and school family. We were so thankful when they offered not only to oblige but to also run a workshop on Internet Safety and Protection. Every step we can take to keep our kids safe both on the roads and online is a good one.

While many things have happened this week, we failed to get many photos of them. Clifton, who normally takes the photos, has been away caring for a sick elephant (but more on that later). For now, here are a few that he did manage early on in the week.

The big story this week that we have already eluded to is the elephant. Mid-morning on Tuesday, Eugene and Clifton received calls telling them that an elephant had been seen deep in the jungle lying down completely unable to get up. They quickly headed off with several staff and family members to investigate the claims.

After some initial difficulties finding the animal they eventually came across a young bull, perhaps 10 to 12 years old, lying on it's side in the grass. The bull had previously been in a fight with another male and had received a large puncture wound in it's neck that had now become terribly infected. While it was alive and conscious, it was not able to get back upon it's feet.

The local veterinary was called, but elephants were more of a challenge for him than his regular cows and dogs. After some consultation a course of antibiotics were started in the hopes of getting the elephant back up on his feet.

Word soon spread of the elephants condition. For the rest of the week droves of villagers flocked to see the elephant, bringing with them banana leaves, wheat, clover, sugarcane, fruit and vegetables for the animal. These were greatly received by the hungry pachyderm who quickly became comfortable eating from human hands.

On the fifth day the elephant was not showing any signs of improvement. Dr Sharma, the Chief Veterinary Officer from Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve, arrived at the scene. He had been delayed due to three other sick elephants and a leopard that had been caught (and injured) in a house on the other side of our state.

Dr Sharma inspected the animal carefully and discussed it's condition with Clifton. They were able to make some incisions and clean out the wound in the neck. But the prognosis was not good, Dr Sharma informed us that the animal was just too sick to be saved. When an elephant lies down on the ground for long periods of time it's lungs are crushed and fluid builds up in them, once this builds up to a point (normally after about 24 hrs) the effects are irreversible. In addition to this the infection had almost surely passed into the animals bloodstream.

We will continue to care for this amazing creature, continue to feed him and love him. It has been a powerful experience for us, one that will never be forgotten. While we have not completely given up hope we do recognize that the chances of this beautiful animal once again roaming the jungles around us are very slim indeed.

We are so proud of the way our community have banded together; irrespective of caste, creed or religion countless individuals have worked tirelessly to love this animal and show it incredible respect and reverence. From the Forestry Department guards who have camped out each night keeping the elephant warm with their blankets, to the elderly villagers who walked for kilometers deep into the jungle to deliver a basket of fruit, we are humbled and grateful to the greater Banbasa community for the unity that they have displayed this week. The human spirit that was displayed every single day was an inspiration to all of us, as we hope it can be to you.