Wildlife SOS runs Haathi Sewa, a mobile veterinary initiative that brings medical care to elephants unable to reach a hospital safely. The name translates to "in service to elephants," and the unit carries diagnostic equipment including X-ray, blood-test, and thermal-imaging tools, as well as therapeutic ultrasound, laser therapy, and foot-care supplies. Veterinarians can perform field diagnosis, wound treatment, sedation, emergency stabilization, and fluid therapy wherever the animal is located.
Transporting a multi-tonne wild elephant that is injured or frightened can worsen its condition and separate it from its herd. When a mother has a calf, the decision to move her becomes even more complex. Haathi Sewa shifts the first question from "How do we transport the elephant?" to "What does this elephant need here?" allowing the team to treat the animal on the spot or stabilize it before any move.
In one case in Jharkhand, a wild elephant mother with a severe footpad injury and a two-to-three-year-old calf was treated in the field for nearly ten days. The veterinary team remained on site, monitoring her recovery while accounting for the calf's presence. In another instance in Kaziranga, veterinarians already working nearby treated a 55-year-old privately owned female elephant named Muni for life-threatening colic over several days without moving her.
Elephant behavior such as charging or refusal to move often signals pain, fear, or trauma rather than aggression. Co-founder Geeta Seshamani says the team first works to understand the cause of the behavior before deciding how to approach and treat the animal. This understanding is critical during human-elephant conflict situations where crowds, traffic, and noise add to the animal's distress.
Every Haathi Sewa deployment includes training for mahouts and local caregivers to recognize early signs of illness or injury, such as changes in eating, gait, or behavior. Dr. Arun A. Sha, Director of Research and Veterinary Operations, says this creates a lasting local layer of care; caregivers continue contacting the veterinary team after the mobile unit departs, enabling earlier intervention.
Wildlife SOS co-founder Kartick Satyanarayan emphasizes that communities living alongside elephant corridors are essential to conservation. The mobile unit also serves as a classroom, teaching handlers and villagers how to respond safely when an elephant appears injured or distressed. Early recognition by a mahout, caregiver, or villager can bring help to an animal that is too large, injured, or frightened to travel.
An Elephant Hospital on Wheels: How ‘Haathi Sewa’ Reaches Elephants Needing Urgent Care
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