Media & Public Stories

Media & Public Stories Dr. K. Krishnamoorthy Asokan’s wildlife rescue stories, interviews, and conservation achievements have been featured in Tamil and English newspapers, magazines, and online media. His contributions to elephant rescue, snake conservation, wildlife veterinary care, documentaries, and public awareness programmes inspire people to protect wildlife and preserve biodiversity.

Dr. Krish Asokan has made significant contributions to Wildlife Veterinary Medicine, Elephant Conservation, Snake Surgery, Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in Tamil Nadu. His landmark achievements include the rescue and treatment of wild elephants, rehabilitation of orphaned elephant calves, wildlife post-mortem investigations, pioneering snake surgeries, and radio-telemetry research on Indian Rock Pythons. His work has received recognition through several state-level and institutional awards, including the Tamil Nadu Government Anna Gallantry Award (2022), Sudar Oli Viruthu (2021), Puravalar Viruthu (2019), Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Board Appreciation Award (2020), Environmental Excellence Award (2010), and Lifetime Achievement Award from TANUVAS (2024). His contributions demonstrate the important role of veterinary medicine in wildlife conservation, animal welfare, biodiversity protection, and human–wildlife conflict mitigation. His name also appears in the Government of India’s published list of Padma Awards nominations/recommendations for 2022.

Bommi’s rescue, treatment, recovery, and long-term rehabilitation became part of an internationally recognized conservation story through The Elephant Whisperers. The documentary’s Academy Award brought global attention to orphan calf rehabilitation and to the coordinated work of veterinarians, mahouts, caregivers, and forest personnel.

Elephant Whisperers Oscar Award- Elephant Calf Bommi Rescue Story On 2 October 2019, a one-month-old orphaned female wild elephant calf was rescued in critical condition from the Hasanur Forest Division. The severely dehydrated and weakened calf received emergency veterinary treatment and intensive care under Dr. Krish Asokan, who named her Ammu. After her recovery, she was transferred to the Theppakadu Elephant Camp, where she was renamed Bommi for long-term rehabilitation. In 2023, Bommi gained international recognition after appearing in the Academy Award-winning documentary short film The Elephant Whisperers, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film. The Indian documentary follows the inspiring story of a couple caring for an orphaned baby elephant, bringing global attention to elephant conservation and the dedicated efforts of wildlife veterinarians, mahouts, and forest staff involved in orphan calf rehabilitation. Bommi's remarkable journey—from a critically injured orphan to an Oscar-winning documentary star—remains an inspiring conservation success story.

Dr. Krish Asokan has made significant contributions to wild elephant rescue, treatment, and rehabilitation, particularly in challenging human–wildlife conflict situations. He has been involved in the rescue and treatment of more than 25 wild elephants, including elephants affected by electrocution, severe stress, gunshot injuries, traumatic wounds, dehydration, and other life-threatening conditions. Electrocution Cases: Rescued and treated wild elephants injured or affected by electric fences and power-line electrocution. Gunshot Injuries: Provided emergency veterinary treatment and rehabilitation for elephants suffering from gunshot wounds. Stress & Human–Wildlife Conflict: Managed elephants experiencing severe physical and behavioural stress caused by habitat disturbance, conflict, and prolonged exposure to human activity. Emergency Rescue: Participated in difficult field rescue operations involving injured, weak, trapped, and distressed elephants. Rehabilitation: Supported recovery and, where possible, the safe return of rescued elephants to their natural habitat. Conservation Impact: These rescue efforts contributed to reducing elephant mortality and strengthening wildlife veterinary medicine and human–elephant conflict management in Tamil Nadu. Headline:

Dr. K. Krishnamoorthy Asokan played a key role in one of India's pioneering radio-telemetry research projects on the Indian Rock Python (Python molurus), carried out in the Sathyamangalam and Mudumalai Tiger Reserves in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) between 2018 and 2020. As the wildlife veterinarian, he performed the surgical implantation and later removal of VHF radio transmitters using safe gaseous anaesthesia, enabling scientists to monitor the movement, habitat use, thermoregulation, and home range of 14 free-ranging Indian Rock Pythons. The research generated valuable information for the scientific management and conservation of this Near Threatened species and was later published in international peer-reviewed journals. The study also acknowledged Dr. Asokan and his veterinary team for their vital contribution to the successful implementation of this landmark wildlife research project.

Dr. K. Krishnamoorthy Asokan has made significant contributions to the rescue, treatment, and rehabilitation of wild monkeys affected by road accidents, dog bites, electrocution, falls, and other traumatic injuries. Throughout his wildlife veterinary career, he successfully treated numerous bonnet macaques and other monkey species suffering from severe wounds, fractures, burns, infections, dehydration, and facial injuries. One of his most notable achievements was performing a rare facial reconstructive surgery on an injured bonnet macaque, restoring extensive damage to the face and jaw caused by traumatic injury. The successful surgery, followed by intensive post-operative care and rehabilitation, demonstrated that advanced veterinary reconstructive techniques can be effectively applied to free-ranging wildlife. The procedure received widespread attention in Tamil and English newspapers, highlighting the importance of scientific wildlife medicine and compassionate veterinary care. Dr. Asokan's work has created greater public awareness about wildlife rescue, encouraged timely reporting of injured animals to the Forest Department, and emphasized the need to protect monkeys and other wildlife from injuries caused by human activities such as traffic accidents, stray dog attacks, and electrocution.

Dr. K. Krishnamoorthy Asokan achieved a significant milestone in wildlife veterinary medicine by diagnosing and surgically treating a large tumour in an Indian Cobra (Naja naja). The cobra was presented with a prominent swelling, and detailed clinical examination indicated a neoplastic (tumour) growth. Dr. Asokan successfully performed surgical removal of the tumour under general anaesthesia, followed by intensive post-operative care and rehabilitation. The case demonstrated that snakes, like other vertebrate animals, can develop tumours and that timely veterinary intervention can successfully treat such conditions. The successful surgery attracted widespread coverage in Tamil and English newspapers, highlighting the advancement of reptile surgery and wildlife veterinary science in India. The case also increased public awareness that snakes suffer from naturally occurring diseases, including cancer, and emphasized the importance of scientific diagnosis, treatment, and conservation rather than fear or persecution of these ecologically important reptiles. This pioneering work contributed to greater recognition of advanced veterinary care for reptiles and encouraged further research into diseases affecting wild snakes.

Dr. K. Krishnamoorthy Asokan has been a pioneer in the rescue, treatment, surgery, and rehabilitation of injured wild birds in Tamil Nadu. During his wildlife veterinary service, he successfully treated numerous bird species, including Common Crows, Indian Peafowl, Indian Black Kites, Kingfishers, Indian Bee-eaters, vultures, owls, parrots, and several species of water birds affected by bone fractures, eye diseases, stress, starvation, dehydration, infections, electrocution, and traumatic injuries caused by road accidents, dog attacks, and human activities. Using advanced veterinary techniques, he performed orthopaedic surgeries for wing and leg fractures, eye treatments, wound reconstruction, and intensive rehabilitation, enabling many severely injured birds to recover and return to their natural habitats. His pioneering work in avian medicine, including complex fracture management and reconstructive surgery, received wide coverage in Tamil and English newspapers and greatly increased public awareness about wildlife rescue, bird welfare, and biodiversity conservation. These successful treatments demonstrated that timely scientific veterinary care can save the lives of injured wild birds and encouraged the public to rescue and report injured birds to the Forest Department instead of leaving them untreated.