Coimbatore: Twenty-year-old Kumki (trained elephant) Suyambu and 12-year-old Ashok Tusker are kept in Kraals (wooden cage) in Elephant Vararalyiariari camp near topslip on Sundays because they do not obey their new Mahout.
They will remain in Kraals for a month and new Mahouts and Mahouts Assistant (Kavadis) will train them to follow their instructions.
According to official sources, Suyambu is stored in Elephant Chadivayal camp for more than two years to handle human-animal conflicts in the Forest Division of Coimbatore.
It was sent back to Kozhikamuthi Elephant Camp in 2020 after starting to spoil malignant activity and not obey Mahout.
A forest officer, who did not want to be identified, said, “Kumki did not respond to the command of Mahout and Kavadi for the past few weeks.
So, we decided to keep animals in Kraal for a month.” Tusker (Ashok), he said, was taken to Kozhikamuthi Elephant Camp From Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur four years ago.
“It killed Kavadi V Arumugam near the camp on January 16 when he tried to take an elephant to graze.
After that, Tusker was reluctant to follow the Mahout’s command.” The officer said the Ramasubramanian Field Director of Animalai Tiger, Deputy Director of Mg Ganesan, Sukumar Forest Animal Officials and Para Elephant experts have allowed their elephants to keep their two elephants in it Kraal for a month a few days ago.
Furthermore, both Kumki and Tusker shifted to Elephant Camp Varakaliyar from Kozhikamuthi in the truck on Sundays and stored in Kraals.
“Suyambu was trained to become a KULKI.
We have appointed Mahout Suresh and Kavadi Prasad to handle elephants, while Mahutu Manikandan and Kavadi Kannan will take care of Tusker (Ashok).
The Tusker was never stored in the previous Kraal, because it was saved by the Ministry of Forestry as a calf.
Ashok is expected to obey the Mahout and Kavadi command immediately, “the officer said.
Elephants detained in Kraals in Varakaliyar Camp
