The District Monitoring Committee of Captive Elephants Management and Maintenance has given conditional permission for parading elephant Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran during festivals.
The committee has imposed conditions for parading the elephant, which enjoys a huge fan following, considering a wound on its right hind limb.
For two months
The permission has been given on trial basis for two months. The main conditions are: people should be kept five metres away from the elephant while parading, it can be paraded for festivals in Thrissur and Palakkad districts alone, and there should be a gap of two days between parades.
The parading of the elephant will be under strict surveillance of the monitoring committee. Four mahouts should accompany the elephant while it is being paraded. Fitness tests should be done every week. Thechikkottukavu Devaswom officials should give the schedule for the parading of the elephant in advance to the monitoring committee.
The Devaswom will be responsible for any damage caused by the elephant if it went unruly. No reception or other such programmes should be held while the elephant is brought for the festivals. The Divisional Forest Officer and veterinary doctors in the area should be informed when the elephant is paraded.
Affidavit to Collector
The Devaswom should give an affidavit to the District Collector by accepting the conditions.
A ban was imposed on Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran after it went unruly and killed two persons at Guruvayur in February last year. Later, following wide protest against the ban, it was paraded for the Vilambaram ritual of the Thrissur Pooram for just an hour.
