Wildlife Conservation India Project #19179

Support Mobile Ambulance Service for Wild Animals

by Wildlife Trust of India

Project Report | May 4, 2026
MVS Odisha - Report

By Akanksha Singh | Sr Programme Officer

ProjectName:

Vets on Wheels, Odisha

ProjectOverview:

The Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS) initiative by the Wildlife Trust of India, in partnership with the Odisha Forest Department, focuses on addressing wildlife emergencies and rising human-wildlife conflict in regions such as Similipal Tiger Reserve and Keonjhar Forest Division. Operating since 2014 and 2019 respectively, these units provide critical on-ground veterinary care, rescue, and rehabilitation for distressed wildlife, particularly Asian elephants affected by conflict-related injuries, while also supporting captive elephant health and training forest staff in safe wildlife handling. Since 2014, the project has attended to 523 cases of wildlife in distress of which 246 (47%) animals were released back into the wild after providing treatment and care. The project’s scope has evolved to increasingly manage human-wildlife conflict incidents, reflecting changing conservation challenges in the region. Its significance lies in improving response to wildlife in conflict situations, reducing wildlife mortality, and strengthening local capacity, thereby contributing to more effective and humane wildlife management in high-conflict landscapes.

Key activities carried out by the Vets on Wheels Odisha project in FY 2025-26:

Rescue and rehabilitation of distressed wildlife following established protocols.
Training and capacity building of stakeholders on rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife
Sensitization of communities on importance of wildlife conservation, wildlife rescue and community engagement in the same.
Monitoring and management of captive elephant health in respective forest divisions.
Attending to cases of wildlife mortalities reported from the respective divisions and conducting detailed necropsy and laboratory investigations on the same.

Key achievements of the Vets on Wheels Odisha project in FY 2025-26:

MVS units in Similipal Tiger Reserve and Keonjhar attended 134 wildlife emergency cases, including 7 injured Asian elephants, reflecting continued field-level engagement in high-conflict landscapes.
20 animals (14.9%) were successfully treated and released, contributing to ongoing wildlife rescue and rehabilitation efforts despite increasing complexity of cases.
The MVS team also collaborated across state lines by helping the Jharkhand Forest Department in dealing with elephant injuries caused by landmines as well as human-tiger conflict situation in Jharkhand and West Bengal.
The team conducted 04 training and capacity building events for forest department staff, including two mock-drills for the Rapid Response Team (RRT) deployed during wildlife emergencies and human-wildlife conflict situations.
A specialized training was also conducted for the forest department staff of Sundarban Biosphere Reserve on the use of thermal drones and darting equipment for wildlife rescue.
The MVS Keonjhar veterinarian provided capacity building training to veterinarians from Odisha and Jharkhand Forest Departments on handling and veterinary management of wildlife emergencies, including the use of darting equipment.
Community awareness programmes were conducted in villages around Keonjhar and Similipal Tiger Reserve on snakebite management, livestock health, and avoiding conflict with wildlife, improving local preparedness and reporting.

Attachments:

MVS_Odisha_summary_202526.docx (DOCX)

1 Attachment

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Dec 2, 2016
MVS- Similipal Tiger Reserve

By Aanchal Saxena | Assistant project officer

MVS unit is commissioned in places where either (or all) of these following wildlife emergencies are reported: (i) high incidents of human-wildlife conflict, (ii) frequent wildlife displacements due to man-made and natural calamities, and (iii) reports of wildlife health issues like epidemics due to infectious and non-infectious diseases. The unit is manned by a veterinarian and animal keeper, both trained in their respective fields of expertise. The MVS vehicle is equipped with all the tools essential for realizing its objectives of that is centred around the following six areas of reliefs:

a) Swiftly respond to wildlife emergencies due to natural and man-made calamities: Floods, cyclones, landslides and poisoning are some of the calamities that affect wildlife on a regular basis. Emergency relief to wildlife in distress during such disasters in the form treatment, stabilization and accommodation is one of the primary objectives of the MVS units

b) Rehabilitation of wild animals, including orphans, displaced due to various reasons: The unit through its associated rescue centre aims to admit, hand-raise and finally rehabilitate orphaned wildlife back to the wild

c) Assist the Forest Department in conflict animal management:Conflict with leopards, elephants, and bears are on the increase and WTI’s MVS vets are frequently called upon to address conflict animal management issues

d) Veterinary care of the captive elephants, especially that of the Forest Department: MVS vet routinely provides treatment and conducts regular health check-ups on elephants that are used as working animals by the forest department for patrolling and tourism purposes.

e) Disease investigations during sporadic deaths and epidemics: Investigating the cause of deaths and prevalence of diseases in wildlife is essential for prevention and control disease transmission. MVS veterinarians attend to postmortems of wildlife that die in the wild to determine the cause of death and if needed implement appropriate and suitable control measures.

f) Protecting wildlife from infectious diseases of livestock through immunization: Thousands of livestock living around the protected areas in India pose a great threat to wild animals that regularly share a common interface. The MVS units organize regular immunization camps for livestock in the villages to protect wildlife against diseases.

The Similipal TR authorities informed WTI that they have been attending to cases of wildlife emergencies for almost two years now through their local infrastructure. The Field Director in 2014 indicated that they had attended to 66 cases since 2011

The main objective of the MVS unit is to return every displaced animal to the wild while following the IUCN guidelines on translocation and placement of confiscated animals. The unit will be served by a small field station that will have basic facilities to accommodate temporarily displaced animals till their release. Non-releasable animals will be sent to zoos for lifetime care and breeding. The unit by its presence in the area will also help to create awareness drives amongst the local villagers on how to deal with and respond to different conflict scenarios.

The MVS Similipal Unit attended to a total of 17 cases of wildlife displacements in the reporting period (April – September 2016). These include 8 cases of mammals (7 species), 2 cases of birds (2 species) and 7 cases of reptiles (5 species).

Conflict with leopards, elephants, and bears are on the rise and the MVS vets are frequently called upon to address conflict animal management issues.

The MVS veterinarian was instrumental in assisting in the care and providing treatment to the orphaned elephant calf, Bablu (20 months) that was rescued in December 2014 and is in captivity under the Similipal Forest Department.

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Sep 21, 2016
Monthly report MVS- Similipal

By Abhishek Narayana | Wild Rescue Team

Shows preparing for Release of Wild Boar

On 4^th August 2016 MVS team alongwith FVO,Dr. Piysh Soren participated in Dog Vaccination camp against Canine Distemper in the fringe Villages of Upper Barakamra Range of Similipal Tiger Reserve . .
On 7^thAugust 2016 MVS-Team alongwith FVO,Dr. Piysh Soren participated in Dog Vaccination camp against Canine Distemper in the fringe Villages of Jenabil Range of Similipal Tiger Reserve .
On 8^thAugust 2016 MVS-SBR team attended a Wild Boar rescue case at Madhuban, Baripada along with FVO,Dr. Piush Soren and FD staff of Pithabata Range territorial which was later taken to MVS station for further care and treatment.
On10 th August 2016 MVS-SBR team along with FVO, Dr. Piush Soren and ACF Mr. K. Parida released a Wild Boar at Champagar area under Pithabta Range (WL) after its treatment recovery .
On 13th August 2016 MVS team alongwith FVO,Dr. Piysh Soren examined one Spectacled Cobra rescued by Kallu Babu and Team from Baripada Town and after examination it was released at Manchabandha.
On 17^th August 2016 MVS-SBR along with Dr. Piush Soren FVO, his office received one Russell’s Viper with injured head infested with maggots from FD staff of DUKURA range and taken to MVS station for further care but it was died on arrival at Pithabata campus ,Lulung.
On 18 th August 2016, MVS-SBR attended a weak diseased young female wild pig at Lengrakocha Beat un der Pithabata Range(WL) which was unable to stand very weak and given required treatment at the spot and brought it to MVSstation for further care.
On 19^th Agust 2016 ,MVS-SBR team with Dr.P. Soren attended a PM of female wild pig here at Pithabata MVS-Station.Which was rescued by FD staff of Lengrakocha Beat.
On 23^rd Agust 2016 ,Atteneded a Meeting at Office premises of Divisional Forest Officer at Baripada on Odisha Wildlife Management Plan along with Rudra Mahapatra and Prakash Bhardaraj.

measurement of Injured Boar at Pithabata Range

Releasing into the wild

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