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Elephants having a bath at the Elephant Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre at M.R. Palayam near Tiruchi. File photograph
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The T.N. Forest Department has installed a couple of mini shower systems inside the Elephant Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in M.R. Palayam near Tiruchi, for captive elephants that are being taken care of at the sprawling facility.
The mini shower systems have been set up adjoining the dedicated walking path created inside the centre, on which the pachyderms are taken every day for morning and evening walks.
Funds to the tune ₹5 lakh were given to the Forest Department to set up this facility inside the centre. Water is to be drawn from one of the borewells sunk close to the shower systems to spray water on the elephants as they approach.
The installation of the mini shower systems comes as searing heat has gripped many parts of the State this summer. The centre already has a bigger shower system inside where five or six elephants are lined up to enjoy a cool bath at a time.
Each of the mini shower systems can accommodate two elephants at a time and water will be sprayed on the pachyderms when they are being taken for a daily walk, said a senior Forest Department official, adding that this was to help the animals feel cool. In view of the heat, the morning walk of the elephants has been advanced to 6 a.m. instead of 7 a.m. , the official said.
To protect the elephants from the intense heat, water is also being sprayed periodically on the bamboo splits covering the sides of the elephant shelters. Gunny sacks soaked in water have also been tied to the sides of the shelters. Fruits with high water content are being fed to the elephants in the afternoon, in addition to their regular diet as prescribed by veterinarian.
Functioning inside the reserve forest adjoining the Tiruchi – Chennai national highway, the centre, run by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department takes care of captive elephants translocated from various places since 2019. Every elephant is taken care of by a mahout and a ‘kavadi’ and a team of field-level officials of the Forest Department. The 20-hectare centre has, at present, 11 captive elephants translocated from various places of the State.
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