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Elephant orphanage to come up at Kottur

— Photo: Vipinchandran

CARE FOR ELEPHANTS: An elephant rehabilitation centre has been proposed at Kottur near Thiruvananthapuram.

KOCHI: An orphanage for elephants will come up at Kottur, near Agastyavanam, in Thiruvananthapuram.

An expert committee constituted by the State government finalised a project report for the centre at a meeting here on Tuesday.

The orphanage will house sick and old animals and the wild calves that cannot be send back to its natural habitat. The aged and injured animals will be taken care of by dedicated team of experts. It would be a chain-free life for the animals at the orphanage, according to forest officials.

The Rs.5-crore orphanage will also serve as a retirement home for old and incapacitated elephants. ach enclosure would be at least one acre in area. The centre will have sufficient space for accommodating at least 30 animals at a time. The forest officials have been observing the behaviour of two six-year-old calves at the enclosure as case studies, as this is for the first time that such a centre where the animals can roam freely has been proposed.

While some elephant shelters are operating in some parts of the country with thrust on tourism, the one that has been proposed at Kottur will be strictly based on the animal welfare and management concepts. The centre, which will have the structure of a semi-autonomous society, will have provisions for receiving funds in the form of contributions from animal lovers and other.

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