The Elephant Doctor of India

The true story of the last viable Asian elephant population and the man dedicated to saving them

Early on a January morning in 2015, a young bull elephant touched a sagging electric line in the Paneri Tea Plantation in the Udalgari District of Assam, India. The elephant’s soft-padded feet conducted the current, and the animal fell, kicking in the mud. The local veterinarian called to the scene thought the tusker was going to die. The forest department warden called the one person who could help: Dr. Kushal Konwar Sarma, India’s beloved elephant doctor.

The Elephant Doctor of India brings the middle-grade reader into the heart of Assam, a remote land of tea plantations, paddy fields, and ancient forests. Author Janie Chodosh spent time with Dr. Sarma and brings his incredible story - and the lives of these magnificent animals - to readers in classrooms everywhere.