Three local school children from Devala in the Nilgiris were appointed as Gene Pool Eco Park ambassadors after they raised funds to purchase rice to feed four kumki elephants used in elephant-driving operations in the region.
The children, Sandeesh Kumar and Nagulan, studying in Class VIII in Holy Cross School in Devala and Sanjay, a Class VII student from the Government Tribal Residential School in Devala, had heard of the kumki elephants’ presence in the area for the last few weeks. Forest department officials said that the boys along with other locals had already visited the Gene Pool Eco Development Committee during the Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations this year when the four kumkis were treated to fruits and vegetables.
“The three boys then got together and pooled the pocket money that they had collected and purchased a 25 kg. bag of rice for the elephants,” said a forest official from Nadugani Forest Range.
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The three boys had brought the rice on Wednesday to hand it over to forest department officials. When District Forest Officer, Gudalur division, Kommu Omkaram heard of the boys’ love for the kumki elephants, he requested forest staff at the eco-development committee to tour the children around the Gene Pool EDC, known for its grasslands and collections of rare flora and a recently established native species aquarium.
Forest department officials said that Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, T.V.Manjunatha, who learned of the children’s love for elephants had issued orders that the three children be appointed as honorary ambassadors of the Gene Pool Eco Park in Nadugani.
Officials said that as the three children had already shown that they had a tremendous amount of affection and respect for animals, that they would be part of awareness programmes in the future through which the department hoped that they could reach local communities and spread the message of living in peaceful co-existence with wild elephants in the region.
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