AP PHOTOS: Elephant breaks leg, dies after 3 months of care


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BANGALORE, India (AP) — After an elephant broke his leg and was left to hobble around the backwaters of a reservoir in southern India, villagers and veterinarians brought him food and tried to soothe his agony through treatment. But he died Friday after efforts lasting more than three months.

Sidda, the name given to the elephant by forest guards, was estimated to be 35 years old.

Sidda fell into a ditch and broke his right leg in the Manchinbele dam area in late August. He also sustained abrasions all over his body, and had an abscess on his back that required treatment. The accident occurred in the Savandurga reserve, a home to wild elephants in the Ramanagara district of Karnataka state.

Doctors from Wildlife SOS India began treating Sidda after villagers alerted forest guards a day after the accident. The elephant had collapsed and couldn't move, and developed sores on his left flank. Soon there was a puss formation around the wound.

Doctors administered painkillers to help ease Sidda's pain and anti-inflammatory medication for the swelling and the infection in his leg.

Forest guards sought the help of the army to build a structure to support Sidda and enable him to stand on his own without collapsing. A metal frame kept Sidda suspended, and a support structure like a cradle lifted him up and eased the stress on his limbs, according to Wildlife SOS India's website.

A Ramanagara forest official, Manjunath, said Saturday that Sidda died of infection early Friday. The autopsy report said the infection was caused by a puss formation inside the leg that was not noticeable from outside. Manjunath uses one name.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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