: Arrangements are nearing completion for the 48-day long rejuvenation camp for Tamil Nadu’s temple and mutt elephants although the official machinery appears to be waiting for orders to inaugurate the camp.
A pet project of former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, the camp was introduced first in 2003 and was not held only from 2006 to 2011, during the DMKregime.
Should the proposal sent now be cleared, the camp may commence on February 9. At a cost of a little over ₹ 90 lakh, arrangements have been completed on a sprawling six acres of land along the banks of the river Bhavani at Thekkampatti near Mettuppalayam in foothills of the Nilgiris.
The campsite is ready to host about 30 elephants from various temples and mutts in Tamil Nadu.
There will also be two guests from Puducherry — the elephants from the Manakula Vinayakar and the Thirunallaru temples.
The ninth such camp is also the fifth organised at Thekkampatti in Mettuppalayam (the first four camps were held at Theppakadu in Mudumalai). Considering the tiring uphill journey for elephants, who travel all the way from various temples across the State, the venue was shifted to the more scenic Thekkampatti.
Plus-size facilities
Arrangements include a massive kitchen for the jumbos, another for the mahouts and cavadis (who also undergo rejuvenation and receive medical aid), and a kilometre-long walking track for the jumbos —depending on their gender, age and weight, they walk for a minimum of one round and a maximum of three rounds.
The resting sheds and toilets for mahouts are already in place.
Considering the new terrain, and in a bid to prevent elephants getting from entering the river, showers large enough to accommodate three elephants at a go have been put up.
Three-tier security arrangements to prevent wild elephants from entering the campsite include a hanging solar power fence, a barbed-wire fence, and the closure of unauthorised entry points with barricades and tin sheets.
The campsite is also fortified with five watchtowers manned by binocular-wielding security personnel.
Though the State maintains a list of nearly 50 elephants belonging to various temples and mutts, only 32 attended the camp last year.
Old and ailing elephants, and those that refuse to board trucks, have been exempted for the last three years.
Similarly, the Forest Department’s elephants will enjoy their 48-day rejuvenation at their respective camps in Top Slip near Pollachi, Theppakkadu in Mudumalai in the Nilgiris, and at Chadivayal in Coimbatore.
Collaborative hospitality
The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Board has already deputed 40 staff in three teams, besides 25 personnel from the Forest Department, to protect the visiting elephants. The State animal husbandry department has deployed veterinarians and their assistants.
Upon their arrival, the jumbos will have their health checked. A diet and exercise chart will be prepared.
Visitors may stop by to see the elephants from 8.30 a.m. to 12 noon and again from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., but from a distance, in the area earmarked for them, official sources said.
