Kerala - Kochi   

One more episode of elephant fury

KOCHI: An elephant brought for the festival celebrations at the Aluva Siva temple near here ran amok on Friday triggering panic among the public for more than three hours.

The trouble began when the elephant, Chettuva Vinayan, was being taken to the Periyar for bathing.

Vinayan was one among the nine elephants brought to the temple in the morning to participate in the ‘sheeveli ezhunallippu’ ceremony held as part of the ‘uthravilakku mahotsavam’.

Minutes after the mahout brought the elephant to the ghat, it tried to gore the one in front of it. Both the elephants became defiant and started running helter-skelter on the manappuram.

Vinayan then ran around the region in a belligerent mood and destroyed the wooden lampposts set up at the manappuram. The organisers then informed the police and the Fire and Rescue Services about the situation.

The police personnel who reached the site sought the help of veterinary surgeons and experts to tranquilise the animals. Veterinarian Abraham Tharakan, who was rushed to the site, was ready with a tranquilizer shot.

But the tuskers were brought under control without the sedative shots and they were soon tethered to the trees and posts on the manappuram thanks to the efforts of as many as 10 mahouts. They ran behind Vinayan and secured control over the animal.

Reacting to the incident, elephant lovers said that elephants were tortured especially during festival seasons in the State. Most of them turned violent, as they are repeatedly taken from one temple to another for various ceremonies.

Pointing out that the middlemen involved in the business of parading elephants at festivals were reaping money, they demanded steps to ensure the safety and health of elephants.

The Elephant Lovers Association had earlier protested against the violation of the Kerala Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules 2003 by elephant owners and mahouts.

According to the rules, owners and mahouts should maintain records of elephant disease and treatment.

Fitness certificates and vaccination records should be available for verification whenever the elephant is taken out.

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