Man travels 263 km to treat tiger bite

Surgeon at local hospital was missing; had gone to Mumbai

Man travels 263 km to treat tiger bite

Surgeon at local hospital was missing; had gone to Mumbai

Anil Bhosale (38), a farmer of Khumbhad village in Khed district, miraculously escaped the clutches of a tiger, when it pounced on him on Tuesday evening at 7.30 pm. On Tuesday, Bhosale went into the forest, situated 3 km from his house, to feed his goats. Suddenly a tiger pounced on him and bit his left wrist. The terrified victim ran towards his village and asked his neighbours for assistance. "We rushed him to Kulbani Hospital in Kheda, which is 45 km away from his place. After administering first-aid treatment to him, the doctors advised us to take him to Mumbai's KEM hospital.

Deadly bite: Anil Bhosale recuperates after the operation at KEM hospital.
pic/Arvind Walmiki

We travelled a long distance and reached Mumbai only yesterday morning, at 6.30am," said Prakash Mohite, Anil's neighbour. Bhosale said, "I went to feed my cattle in the forest, blissfully unaware of the tiger's presence. The tiger bit me. I cannot move my hand. God knows if I will be able to use my hand again."

Dr Pradeep Bhosale, head of the orthopedic department at KEM hospital, said, "He has sustained a severe injury. While mauling him, the beast bit off wrist completely. When he reached the hospital, his hand was dangling precariously. A team of doctors from the orthopedic and plastic surgery departments is performing reconstructive surgery on the injured part of his hand."

He went on to explain the patient's condition, saying, "The bone has also been chewed off. We have to apply an external fixator to support the hand. He will have to undergo a time-consuming surgery." Dr Pankaj Agarwal, orthopedic surgeon at KEM hospital, said, "When he was brought in, we washed his hand and gave him saline, since his wrist was almost crushed." He further added, "We detected some sensation in his hand, and are now trying to relocate those tissues. We are highly concerned about the condition of hand. He will be kept under
observation for 48 hours." He also informed that two scheduled surgeries in the hospital had been cancelled, so that doctors could give critical care to Bhosale.

Bhosale's brother Pradip (50), said, "Tigers attack our goats and cows at least once in two weeks. We have asked the forest officer to look into the matter, but he did not respond to our pleas." He further added, "In the forest there is no source of water for the tigers to quench their thirst with, so they encroach upon the village in search of food and water."

Mohite, the victim's neighbour, said, "When we went to Kulbani hospital in Kheda, the surgeon was unavailable. The staff informed me that he had gone to Mumbai, and gave him basic first-aid." He added, "We have also requested the forest officer to look into the matter. He has assured us that investigation is on."