Karnataka Decade gone, but no vets: Karnataka forest department's wildlife crisis

Bengaluru: Over a decade after it was first proposed, the Forest Department is still without dedicated wildlife veterinarians.

Home to the country’s largest elephant population and the second highest number of tigers, the state lacks specialised doctors who play a crucial role in rescuing injured animals, monitoring wildlife health, and collecting forensic evidence in poaching and other wildlife crime cases.

Forgotten document

The absence of such expertise was recognised more than 10 years ago, after a spate of elephant, gaur, leopard, and sloth bear deaths.

A vision document was then drafted, outlining a two-phase plan to build a trained cadre of wildlife veterinarians and establish a forensic laboratory for wildlife health monitoring.

“The matter was sidelined as soon as things turn