General Informations

  • Join Date: 09/07/1987
  • College: College of Veterinary Science
  • Department: Veterinary Surgery & Radiology
  • Office Email: kushal.k.sarma[at]aau.ac.in
  • Other Charges: Member, Academic Council, Head of the Department

Education Details

 
 
 
 
 
1984
B.V.Sc & A. H.

Assam Agricultural University

 
 
 
 
 
1987
M. V. Sc

Assam Agricultural University

 
 
 
 
 
1994
Ph D

Assam Agricultural University

Employment History

 
 
 
 
 
09-07-1987 - 25-07-1996
Assistant Professor

Assam Agricultural University

 
 
 
 
 
26-07-1996 - 31-12-2005
Associate Professor

Assam Agricultural University

 
 
 
 
 
01-01-2006 - Till date
Professor

Assam Agricultural University

Achievements
  • Fellowships and awards received:















    1. National merit Scholarship based on the results of High School Leaving Certificate Examination for the entire undergraduate studies.







    2. Assam Agricultural University Merit Scholarship (Category-I) for both U.G. & P.G.Studies.







    3. Assam Agricultural University Gold Medal for topping in the B.V.Sc & A.H. degree programme.







    4. D.C.B. Memorial Cash award for securing first class first position in the B.V.Sc & A.H. degree, 1983.







    5. S. J. Anjelo Gold Medal from the Indian Veterinary Association for the best article published in the Indian Veterinary Journal (1997) entitled “ Preputial diverticulum in an Asian elephant(Elephas maximus)- a case report” Volume 74 No. 1







    6. Best paper award received for the paper Anatomical study of the mandible of Asian elephant. National symposium of Indian Association of Vety Anatomists held in Kolkata, 16-18 Nov., 2004







    6. Best clinical article award for the article “Trematode infection in Asian elephants and its treatment with Neozide” published in intas POLIVET, Voume 6(2005), No.II.







    7. Best Paper award for the paper entitled, “Macromorphological study on the tongue of Asian Elephant calves” presented in the National Symposium, Division of Anatomy & Histology, Jammu, held in 21-23 December, 2006







    8 WILD ANIMAL HEALTH MANAGAEMENT AWARD for outstanding contributions on wildlife restraint and management, International congress on Advances in Zoo and Wild Animals Health and management held at SKUAST (Jammu), 26-27th of April, 2007







    9 Late Shri L.O. Dhande Memorial silver jubilee award and medal for the best paper in forensic anatomy including archaeological study for the paper entitled “Study on ……: A forensic approach in the International congress on Veterinary anatomy, Lucknow, Nov, 4-6, 2009







    10 “Best Oral Presentation award” received for paper entitled “ Handling Bursitis, Gall and Abscesses in Working Elephants: Experiences for over twenty-five years” in the International Conference on Wildlife & Biodiverstiy Conservation vis-à-vis Climate Change, held at Sher-e-Kashmir Universtiy of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Kashmir, Srinagar, June 3-5, 2010.







    11 Late Shri L.O. Dhande Memorial silver jubilee award and medal for the best paper in forensic anatomy including archaeological study for the paper entitled “Species identification based on the study of medulla of hair of some wild, somestic and laboratory animals” in the National Symposium of IAVA held at Puducherry, October 27-29, 2010







    12 Appreciation Certificate, Wild and Zoo Animal Surgery Session- 2009 for the paper entitled “Buoyancy helps to heal a femoral fracture in an elephants” , Indian Society for Veterinary Surgery presented in the ISVS congress held at Puducherry, 8-10 Dec, 2010







    13 Jyoti Prova Bora Foundation award for cancer research, awareness and care, for the paper entitled “Neoplasms in canine” in the Cancer Biology workshop, 2011 organized by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati , Biotec Hub, held from 26-27th of August, 2011 with the help of DBT, Govt. of India.







    14 Fellow of Indian Society for Veterinary Surgery (ISVS) received in 2012 at the XXXVIII National congress held at Anand Veterinary College, Gujarat







    15 Jyoti Prova and Makhan Chandra Bora Memorial Foundation Award for Research and Education Best Poster Award received in the International Symposium on BIOENGINEERING-2012, held in IIT, Guwahati, Assam, 10th December, 2012







    16 Best “Research article” award for the article entitled “Foot Diseases in Captive Elephant” published in Intas Polivet Vol.13 (2012) No.II







    17 Gold Medal, Zoo and Wild Animal Surgery Session Award-2012, received in XXXVII th Indian Society for Veterinary Surgery National Congress held at Trichur, Kerala, 2013







    18 Award of Excellence awarded by the Chief Minister, Forest Minister and Chief Wildlife Warden , Assam in recognition of outstanding contribution in rescuing an adult rhino from human dominated landscape near Mirza of Kamrup District, Assam on 7th of October, 2012







    19 Certificate of Recognition, in recognition of 30 years of commitment to Asian Elephant Conservation, Health and Welfare by North Carolina State University (USA) and Elephants on the Line Program (NCSU) on 5th October, 2014







    20 Selected as one of top 50 conservationists of the world, Ref. SAVING WILD Ed. Lori Robinson, New Insights Press, Los Angeles, USA, 2016







    21 Letter of Appreciation received from Prof. Gautam Biswas, Director, IIT, Guwahati for Life Long Dedication and Contribution to the field of Wildlife Health Care and Conservation on the occasion of ADNAT Silver Jubilee Convention, International symposium on Biodiversity& Biobanking, 27-29th January, 2018







    22 Best paper under category ‘Short Communication’. Sharma, P., Singh, C. K. & Sarma, K. K. (2017): Management of Ulcerative Wounds with Placental Extract in a White Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) :Intas Polivet Vol. 18 (1)







    23 Selected as one of the Top 20 Leading Conservationist of the planet. In Wild Lives, by Lori Robinson and Janie Chodosh, Skyhorse Publishing, New York, USA, 2017







    24 Excellence Award from Mahatma Gandhi University, Meghalaya, on their annual Convocation on 12th March, 2018 by Hon Governor of Assam, His Excellency Prof. Jagdish Mukhi and coined the coveted title as the “Elephant Man of Asia” for his outstanding contributions to the healthcare & welfare of Asian elephants.







    25 Certificate of Appreciation from Dy. Director, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve for “Commitment and Outstanding Service” during the greater one horned rhinoceros translocation exercise in the park from 10-13th April, 2018







    26 PADMASHREE award, declared on Republic Day, 2020







    27 Fellow of Indian Society of Animal Production & Management-2020







    28 Lifetime achievement Award-2020- Kaziranga Wildlife Society- one of the oldest conservation society of the country
  • Students guided for Post graduate degrees















    MVSc: 32















    PhD: 13
  • Outstanding Achievements:















    1. Chemically immobilized and disciplined 140 (one hundred and forty, a world Record) rogue and musth elephants and 66 (sixty six ) wild elephants for treatment, rehabilitation, Radiotelemetry, translocation and domestication in the North eastern India.







    2. Immobilized several rhinoceros (44), leopards, tiger, bear, buffaloes, primates, antelopes and birds for treatment or translocation in the Assam State zoo, Guwahati and the Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks of Assam, West Bengal and UP and Bihar.







    3. Treating hundreds of sick captive and wild elephants every year and organizing preemptive healthcare camps for at least 700 captive elephants all over India every year. (Assam, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa etc.).







    4. Led the Veterinary team in successfully carrying out wild to wild translocation of Rhinoceros unicornis to reintroduce the species in the Manas National Park and Laokhowa-Burhachapori Wildlife sanctuary of Assam under the project nicknamed IRV- 2010 and in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, UP, Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar etc.
  • Projects participated in:







    1. Radio-telemetry of wild elephants in North-Bengal ( IUCN project, executed by Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.) as vety. Consultant.







    2. Project of DNA fingerprinting of the Zoo animals of India, executed by Prof. Lalji Singh, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad.







    3. Rhino translocation programme of Nepal, Executed by WWF, Nepal and US Fish & Wildlife services. 6-12th March, 2002)







    4. Microchips implantation and registration of captive Asian elephants executed by Project Elephant Directorate, MoEF, Govt of India and Dept. of Forests & Wildlife, Govt. of Assam.







    5. Organized hundreds of camps for Animal Birth Control program, rescue of marooned animals and free treatment of animals in natural calamities in the entire North eastern region of India as the President (5 years) Joint Secretary (9 years) and General secretary (6 years) of Blue Cross Society, Assam







    6. Captive elephant healthcare programme, Ecosystems India- a nature lover Non Govt. organization since 2002.







    7. Sumatra Elephant Healthcare and management Program, Indonesia.(12.6.2004-12.7.2004)







    8. Preparation of healthcare and management protocol for the captive elephants of North-East India- a project of Project Elephant Directorate, Govt. of India, New Delhi.







    9. Rhino translocation programme in Assam (IRV-2020) started from Feb, 2008







    10. “Elephants on the line”, an International elephant conservation cum peoples movement for Human-elephant conflict mitigation, an Indo-US-Bhutan collaboration, based on Udalguri district, Assam starting from 2013-2015.
  • Foreign countries visited and purpose:















    1. Nepal, for getting hands on training on rhino translocation in the field conditions held in Royal Citwan National Park. (6-12th March, 2002) : supported by US Fish and Wildlife Services















    2. Colombo, Sri Lanka for attending “International elephant Research Symposium, organized jointly by “Biodiversity and Elephant Conservation Trust of India” and International Elephant Foundation, US. (September, 19-21, 2003) .







    Papers presented:







    The tradition of keeping elephants in captivity by the ethnic tribes of Assam: A uniquely subaltern culture, in Endangered Elephants, past present and future comp. on symposium on Human-Elephant Relationship and Conflicts, Sri-Lanka, Pp.1-5.















    Implanting microchips in domesticated elephants in India, in Endangered Elephants, past present and future comp. on symposium on Human-Elephant Relationship and Conflicts, Sri-Lanka, Pp.191-193.















    3. Sumatra, Indonesia as an international expert for Sumatra Elephant Healthcare and management Program, Indonesia.(12.6.2004-12.7.2004)- on the funding from WWF- International, prepared “Healthcare and Management Protocol for the captive elephants of Indonesia”.







    4. Copenhagen, Denmark to attend “International Elephant research Symposium” organized by IEF and Copenhagen Zoo w.e.f. 20-22th Oct., 2006. Papers presented: partially Funded by IEF







    1. Occupational hazards and work related diseases in the working elephants of north-east India.







    2. Foot diseases in the working elephants of eastern India.















    5. Singapore to participate in a presentation on “Medical management of Elephants” from 31st March-to 2nd April, 2008 and as an expert for reviewing elephant management systems of the Singapore zoo.















    6. Nepal: Pachyderm workshop organized by Zoological Society of London and Darwin Initiative 26-29 March, 2010 Citwan National Park, Nepal.















    7. Regional Asian Elephant Veterinary Workshop, Syiah Kuala University, Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia, 27-30 March, 2012 , Chaired two technical sessions and delivered two Lead Papers on “Management of musth in captive elephants” and Wild to wild translocation of rhinoceros in India.















    8. Guest Lecture at United State of America universities and institutions from 29th March-14th April, 2015 at the request and finance of “Global Environmental Change and Human Well-Being Cluster Distinguished Speaker Series", North Carolina State University, Raleigh















    a) Conservation in the Trenches: A Vet’s-Eye View from 30 years with Asian Elephants at School of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC for Senior faculties and post graduates on 01.04.2015







    b) A Vet for three decades in elephant conservation at U S Fish & Wildlife Services, Washington DC on 02.04.2015







    c) Elephants, Rhinos and Other Wildlife on the Brink: A Veterinary Health Perspective from India, School of Veterinary Medicine, NCSU on 06.04.2015







    d) Conserving Nature: from a biodiversity hotspot: UG classes, School of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC on 07.04.2015







    e) Where have all the Elephants Gone? An Elephant Doctor’s Work to Save the Asian Elephants of India- Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina, 09.04.2015







    9. Bangladesh with request from Bangladesh Govt. and with order of Govt. of Assam as per suggestion of Govt. of India, New Delhi, vide order No. for suggestions on management of a stray elephant in Jamalpur dist, from 2-9th August, 2016







    10. Singapore to attend and present a paper entitled, “Thirty years in elephant healthcare in NE India” in 15th International Elephant & Rhino Conservation and Research Symposium held at Singapore Zoo, w.e.f. 14-18th Nov., 2016







    11. United States of America. W.e.f. 25th Feb-10th March, 2017 as a Guest Lecturer in the State of New Mexico. Lectures delivered as below:







    University of New Mexico, Department of Biology, Albuquerque







    Santa Fe Community College, 6401 Richards Avenue







    National Center of Genome Resources, 2935 Rodeo Park, Drive East







    Bosque International School, ABQ







    ABQ Biopark (Albuquerque) zoo







    State Central Library, Santa Fe







    12. Thailand Kasetsart University, Hua Hin, for attending IIIrd International Congress on EEHV in Asian elephants and presented paper on “EEHV status in India” w.e.f. 16-19th November, 2017







    13. Nepal for attending Regional Tiger, Asian Rhino and Elephant Veterinary Workshop 2018 organized by Faculty of Animal Science, Veterinary Science & Fisheries AFU, Citwan and National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) in Citwan National Park on Feb. 5-8, 2018







    14. National Elephant Institute, Lampang, Thailand delivered a key note address on “Management of musth in India” ASIAN ELEPHANT WELFARE CONFERENCE THAILAND 2018 held w.e.f 28-30 Nov, 2018
  • Seminars and workshops organized and roles played thereon:







    Sl. No Title of the programme Venue Date Role







    1. 1st Refreshers course on “Health care and management of Asian elephants”, sponsored by the Project Elephant Directorate, MOEF, New Delhi. CVSc, AAU, Khanapara 2002 Joint course Director







    2. 2nd Refreshers course on “ Health care and management of Asian elephants”, sponsored by the Project Elephant Directorate, MOEF, New Delhi. CVSc, AAU, Khanapara .(18-24 Feb, 2003)















    Joint course Director







    3. 3rd Refreshers course on “ Health care and management of Asian elephants”, sponsored by the Project Elephant Directorate, MOEF, New Delhi. CVSc, AAU, Khanapara 2004 Joint course Director







    4. 4th Refreshers course on “ Health care and management of Asian elephants”, sponsored by the Project Elephant Directorate, MOEF, New Delhi. CVSc, AAU, Khanapara 20-26 April, 2005 Joint course Director







    5. 5th Refreshers course on “ Health care and management of Asian elephants”, sponsored by the Project Elephant Directorate, MOEF, New Delhi. CVSc, AAU, Khanapara 11-17 Dec., 2007 Joint course Director







    6. National symposium on Elephant Healthcare and Managerial Practices CVSc, AAU, Khanapara 19-21 January, 2009 Vice-Chairman & Editor, Gajamukta







    7. Training of Trainers (TOT) on the Advancement of Elephant Healthcare and managerial Practices CVSc, AAU, Khanapara 1-11 December, 2009 Course Director







    8. Training of Trainers (TOT) on the Advancement of Elephant Healthcare and managerial Practices CVSc, AAU, Khanapara 1-11 April, 2011 Course Director







    9. SAARC workshop for zoo Veterinarians on restraint of zoo animals and their transport (International) CVSc, AAU, Khanapara 23-27 September, 2012 Organizing Secretary







    10. Elephant Day for vet students CVSc, AAU, Khanapara 2nd October, 2013 Course Director







    11 Elephant Day for vet students CVSc, AAU, Khanapara 2nd October, 2014 Course Director







    12 Elephant Day for vet students CVSc, AAU, Khanapara 2nd October, 2015 Course Director







    13. International symposium on Ecology and Health Management of Asiatic Elephant (Elephas maximus),







    NAAS Complex, New Delhi 19-20th Nov., 2015 Member, Organizing Committee







    14 Elephant Day for vet students CVSc, AAU, Khanapara 2nd October, 2016 Course Director







    15 Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics Forum-2016, Special session on captive elephants CVSc, AAU, Khanapara 8th Nov., 2016 Coordinator







    16 BIODIVERSE, Silver Jubilee Convention, International symposium on Biodiversity& Biobanking,















    Indian Institute of Technology,







    Guwahati 27-29th January, 2018 Member, Organizing Committee







    17 BIOCONVERSE Manas National Park 30Jan-1st Feb, 2018 Organizing Secretary







    18 International seminar on “Animal Agriculture for Doubling Farmers Income: Technology, policy and strategy options” CVSc, AAU, Khanapara 27-28th Feb., 2019 Organizing Secretary







    19. International Seminar on EEHV and 4th Asia Working Group Meeting CVSc, AAU, Khanapara 27-30Nov., 2019 Organizing Secretary
  • Doctor of Science (Honoris cousa) degree from Assam Agricultural University on its 22nd Convocation held on 3rd March, 2022
  • “Green Ambassador”, title bestowed by Center for the environment, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati on the occasion of World Environment Day, 5th June, 2022
  • Dr. S. C. Pathak Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in Wild and Zoo animal Surgery by the Indian Society for Veterinary Surgery on 11th of January, 2023 in its 45th annual congress and National Symposium held at Nagpur Veterinary College, Nagpur.
  • Led a veterinary team from India to visit Khow-Kheaw open zoo, Kasetsart University and National Elephant Institute, Lampang, Thailand w.e.f. 8-15th September, 2022
  • Course Director of Refreshers Course for Veterinarians on elephant healthcare and managerial practice (National)"held in CVSc, AAU, Khanaparaj from 22-28 Nov., 2022
  • Organizing Secretary, "International Seminar on “Challenges in Healthcare, Welfare and Conservation of Asian Elephant and Rhinoceros", 27-29 April, 2023,
  • Co-Chairman, Core committee for conducting One Week compulsory Training Course of IFS Officers w.e.f. 17-21 January, 2022
Membership
  • Indian Society for Veterinary Surgery
    Life Member
  • Indian Veterinary Association.
    Life Member
  • Assam Science Society.
    Life Member
  • Blue Cross Society, Assam.
    Life Member
  • Association of Indian Wildlife and Zoo Veterinarians.
    Life Member
  • Small Animal Practitioner’s Association
    Life Member
Projects
  • Assam Science, Technology and Environment Council sponsored project on "Application of Molecular, Microscopic and Ultrastructural Techniques on Study of Body Hair for species identification of wild animals of Assam", project cost Rs.300000.00 Lakh implemented in 2022.
  • DBT, GOI sponsored project on "Development of cost effective, biocompatible suture material from banana (Musabalbisinia) pseudostem in the field of veterinary research", project cost Rs.58 Lakh implemented in 2018.
  • DBT, Govt of India sponsored project on "Epidemiological studies on emerging infectious diseases of elephants (elephas maximus) with special reference to tuberculosis (TB) and elephant endotheliotropic herpes virus (EEHV)", project cost Rs.60.86 Lakh implemented in 2016.
  • Central Silk Board, GOI, New Delhi sponsored project on "Development of silk protein derived artificial nerve growth conduits for neural tissue engineering", project cost Rs.45.30 Lakh implemented in 2012.
  • DBT, Govt of India sponsored project on "Silk based scaffold for neural tissue engineering", project cost Rs.58.44 Lakh implemented in 2012.
  • Directorate of Project Elephant, MoEF, Govt of India sponsored project on "Anatomical studies of Asian elephants of Assam", project cost Rs.5 Lakh implemented in 2004.
  • Directorate of Project Elephant, MoEF, Govt of India sponsored project on "Preparation of healthcare and management protocol for captive elephants of NE India", project cost Rs.5.0 Lakh implemented in 2004.
  • AAU sponsored project on "NPR Scheme on Evaluation of some conventional and non-conventional anaesthetic drugs in wild animals", project cost Rs.0.60 Lakh implemented in 1990.