Nirmala Topno speaks on the phone from her hospital bed in Rourkela. Picture by Uttam Kumar Pal

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 28: The elephant whisperer has run into a mammoth wall of financial trouble.

Nirmala Topno earned the nickname of “elephant whisperer” for successfully driving out a herd of elephants from Rourkela nearly 40km into the woods on July 6. But the 17-year-old tribal girl is now struggling to afford treatment expenses for an injury she suffered while doing her job. Her father is a daily wage labourer.

Nirmala, who has a unique gift of communicating with wild elephants, suffered injuries to her right leg while steering the elephant herd back into the forest. The injury has now turned septic.

Her achievement was acknowledged by the BJD on the Biju Yuva Sampark committee meeting held on August 19 with the aim of connecting with the youth. On the occasion, chief minister Naveen Patnaik had alighted from the dais and felicitated a wheelchair-bound Nirmala.

However, the party is nowhere to be seen now that the girl needs financial help. For the past three days, she has been undergoing treatment at Ispat General Hospital in Rourkela, but without any financial assistance from the government. “I don’t know how I can reach the government. I hope my plight will come to the notice of the chief minister. My father has already spent a lot of money on my treatment,” she said.

The girl shot to limelight in July when she, along with 12 others, successfully drove out a herd of 11 wild elephants from Rourkela into the nearby Saranda forest. The jumbo herd, which had six females, two males and three calves, had strayed into a hillock close to Rourkela on July 5 in search of food.

The next day, the herd trundled into Birsa Chowk, the heart of the city, and trooped into the Birsa Munda stadium, sending the forest department into a tizzy. Hundreds of curious onlookers thronged the area to catch a glimpse of the elephants.

Later, the state government roped in Nirmala, who was known for her skill of communicating with elephants. “I walked barefoot for nearly 40km to drive away the elephants. On the way, I encountered a lot of difficulties and got injured. Later, my injury turned septic,” she told The Telegraph over phone.

Nirmala, who hails from Biramitrapur, about 40km from Rourkela, said she had learnt the art of communicating with wild elephants when she was a child. “They used to enter our village and destroy property. Since our childhood, we have been acquainted with these problems. As children, we used to accompany our elders in driving the jumbos back into the forest. Soon, I found that I was able to communicate with them and read their movements,” the teenager said.

Using mashals (torch), she and some others used to drive the elephants away. “I have already done this job for the forest department thrice. However, the government has done little to encourage me,” she said.

Nirmala completed her matriculation this year and wants to go to college. “I want to go for higher studies and get a job but need the government’s help,” she said.

Nirmala’s father Marino Topno, a daily wage labourer, said: “After my daughter got injured, we tried to cure her in the village. However, her injury worsened and we had to admit her to Ispat General Hospital. However, for the past month, I have not been able to go for work as I am busy arranging for the treatment of my daughter. We are passing through difficult times.”