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MUDUMALAI: As scores of elephants relax in the forest camp here, a controversy rages on how right it has been for them to be sent here in the first place. No two opinions on the need for the pachyderms to be given a holiday a well-deserved one as many would say. But the question being asked is, was it correct to beat and push these animals into a holiday?
Renowned veterinary doctor K.C. Panicker, who is overseeing the elephants’ health condition here says, Despite a microscopic search, I couldn’t detect marks of ‘torture’ as reported in the media.
Transportation of elephants in vehicles is not uncommon. Says Panicker, Training can’t take away wild qualities. Hence, you should take care of him like a child. When it’s required, you need to chide and cane him. Don’t you do it for the welfare of your child? In due course, they’ll get used to trucks without caning.
Controversy apart, the elephants seem to be having whale of a time. More than the nutritious food, the city-bred pachyderms are enjoying the crystal clear waters of Mudumalai River . They refuse to come out of the river despite the mahouts’ best efforts.
Not only are elephants having a good time. This is an unexpected bonanza for tourists too.
I came here for an elephant ride. After arrival, I learnt they’re on a sojourn. True, I dreamt of a ride for many years. But when I see these poor things enjoying this unexpected gift, all my disappointments melt into thin air,says Anupallavi, a tourist from Karnataka.
However good the holiday is for the elephants, the controversy may not die down soon. Is it necessary to cane them into a holiday?
Ask anyone in Kerala, where elephants are widely used in temple festivals; he will say, there is no need. Says Sunil from Ernakulam: Our elephants are trained to mount trucks. They’re not caned in the process. When the practice began, there was some resistance. But not anymore.
Earlier, elephants were made to walk down long distances to reach festival spots. But animal lovers insisted on a good mode of transport. For, by walking, elephants, besides being exposed to road accidents, became tired at the end. That’s how, they began to be moved in trucks.
Elephant transportation had created political controversies in the past too. The decision to transport 82 elephants to the Asiad Games venue in 1982 from Thrissur by rail had created a big ruckus.
Karunakaran (former Kerala chief minister) told me that he’d already promised a Thrissur Pooram (Kerala’s most famous festival known for its display of the state’s most sought after elephants) to Indira Gandhi. So, we fabricated 42 special compartments and transported them to Delhi and back safely,.says Panicker.
MUDUMALAI: As scores of elephants relax in the forest camp here, a controversy rages on how right it has been for them to be sent here in the first place. No two opinions on the need for the pachyderms to be given a holiday a well-deserved one as many would say. But the question being asked is, was it correct to beat and push these animals into a holiday?
Renowned veterinary doctor K.C. Panicker, who is overseeing the elephants’ health condition here says, Despite a microscopic search, I couldn’t detect marks of ‘torture’ as reported in the media.
Transportation of elephants in vehicles is not uncommon. Says Panicker, Training can’t take away wild qualities. Hence, you should take care of him like a child. When it’s required, you need to chide and cane him. Don’t you do it for the welfare of your child? In due course, they’ll get used to trucks without caning.
Controversy apart, the elephants seem to be having whale of a time. More than the nutritious food, the city-bred pachyderms are enjoying the crystal clear waters of Mudumalai River . They refuse to come out of the river despite the mahouts’ best efforts.
Not only are elephants having a good time. This is an unexpected bonanza for tourists too.
I came here for an elephant ride. After arrival, I learnt they’re on a sojourn. True, I dreamt of a ride for many years. But when I see these poor things enjoying this unexpected gift, all my disappointments melt into thin air, says Anupallavi, a tourist from Karnataka.
However good the holiday is for the elephants, the controversy may not die down soon. Is it necessary to cane them into a holiday?
Ask anyone in Kerala, where elephants are widely used in temple festivals; he will say, there is no need. Says Sunil from Ernakulam: Our elephants are trained to mount trucks. They’re not caned in the process. When the practice began, there was some resistance. But not anymore.
Earlier, elephants were made to walk down long distances to reach festival spots. But animal lovers insisted on a good mode of transport. For, by walking, elephants, besides being exposed to road accidents, became tired at the end. That’s how, they began to be moved in trucks.
Elephant transportation had created political controversies in the past too. The decision to transport 82 elephants to the Asiad Games venue in 1982 from Thrissur by rail had created a big ruckus.
Karunakaran (former Kerala chief minister) told me that he’d already promised a Thrissur Pooram (Kerala’s most famous festival known for its display of the state’s most sought after elephants) to Indira Gandhi. So, we fabricated 42 special compartments and transported them to Delhi and back safely,. says Panicker.
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