Elephants are a vital part of the Indian eco-system and one man has spent 40 years of his life caring for them.
Dr. Kushal Konwar Sarma life has been inseparable from elephants. “My life is associated with elephants,” he says.
Why Every Elephant Matters
Treating wild animals has often been debated. Some argue that nature should take its own course that injured animals should either heal naturally or become part of the food chain.
Dr. Sarma challenges that view, “Every individual is a repository of genetic material,” he explains. “We cannot lose a single animal, because their numbers are very few.”
For him, elephants are not just another forest species. They are what scientists call a “flagship species” but more importantly, they are ecosystem engineers.
He points out that elephants quietly hold the forest together. An elephant digests only about 40 percent of what it eats. The remaining 60 percent is released back into the forest as dung which is rich with seeds and nutrients. These dung deposits become natural nurseries, enabling new plants and trees to grow. Through their feeding and movement, elephants regenerate forests, create clearings, and maintain biodiversity.
“In many ways, elephants support the system,” he says. “That is why they are also called ecosystem engineers.”
A Growing Crisis
Yet despite their ecological importance, elephants are struggling to survive.
Between 2000 and 2023, over 1,200 elephants in India lost their lives. The leading cause in recent years has been electrocution.
Because of the peculiar anatomy of their feet, elephants are especially vulnerable to electric currents, often from illegal or poorly installed electric fences meant to protect crops.
Electrocution, traumatic injuries, infections, and age-related illnesses have become recurring emergencies in Dr. Sarma’s work.
Over his career, he has treated more than 10,000 elephants, responding to nearly 700 to 1,000 cases every year.
From administering life-saving injections in dense forests to tending to captive elephants facing neglect, his work spans both wilderness and human settlements.
But over time, he realised that treatment alone was not enough.
Beyond Treatment: Working With Communities
“I started my career as an elephant doctor,” he says. “But I realized even that is not enough. Basically, I should work for conservation, because if elephants are not conserved, there will be no elephants for which I will work.”
That realisation shifted his focus toward prevention.
Dr. Sarma began stepping out of hospitals and into villages, working directly with communities living near elephant habitats. He understood that conflict between humans and elephants often stems from fear, crop damage, and lack of awareness.
One of the solutions he promotes is bio-fencing, the practice of planting natural barriers like thorny bamboo instead of electric fences. These can be propagated through tissue culture systems and serve as safer, sustainable boundaries.
In Assam, he encourages farmers to cultivate Bhut Jolokia, the extremely hot ghost pepper. The strong scent acts as a natural deterrent for elephants, reducing crop raids without causing harm.
Through workshops, training sessions, and constant dialogue with mahouts and villagers, Dr. Sarma has built a model rooted in coexistence rather than confrontation.
“Whole communities can be protected,” he says. “It is only possible through community support.”
Recognition and a Larger Mission
In 2020, for his decades-long contribution to wildlife conservation, Dr. Kushal Konwar Sarma was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award. He became the first veterinarian in the country to receive this honour.
By 2026, his goal is to establish trained elephant support committees across 20 villages at a time with local volunteer networks equipped with knowledge, tools, and resources to respond quickly to emergencies and reduce conflict.
In this episode of Force For Good Heroes, Brut follows the journey of the Elephant Doctor of Asia.
