Elephant rescue centre in Kerala

[Guest guest]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/05/04/eaelephant104.\

xml

India's elephants retire in comfort

 

By Amrit Dhillon in Cochin, Kerala

Last Updated: 12:01am BST 04/05/2008

 

Adorned with gold, and carrying a Hindu deity on his broad back, Babu the

elephant plays a central role in religious ceremonies across the Indian

state of Kerala.

Out of chains: After 36 years' work, Babu the elephant

will be pampered in retirement

 

Now aged 45, he is approaching retirement after a hard working life - and,

like many of the 650 working elephants in the state, there have always been

fears for his future.

 

Elephants cost £340 a month to maintain, a great expense when the average

monthly wage is only £50, and many owners cannot afford to look after their

beasts when they finally stop working.

 

But help is at hand. India's first retirement home for elderly elephants

opens next month inside a tranquil forest at Kottur, outside the state

capital Trivandrum, where the colossal beasts can spend their twilight years

in dignity.

 

Paid for by the state government, the home will buy old elephants for a

nominal sum from owners who cannot or will not look after them properly.

advertisement

<http://ads.telegraph.co.uk/event.ng/Type=click & FlightID=26621 & AdID=32104 & Target\

ID=7492 & ASeg= & AMod= & Redirect=http://www.jobs.telegraph.co.uk>

<http://ads.telegraph.co.uk/event.ng/Type=click & FlightID=26621 & AdID=32104 & Target\

ID=7492 & ASeg= & AMod= & Redirect=http://www.jobs.telegraph.co.uk>

 

" We want them to enjoy their last years after being such good workers

without worrying where their next meal will come from, " said V.S. Verghese,

Kerala's chief wildlife warden who is in charge of the scheme.

 

" They'll get special treats like big slabs of rice, a course sugar called

jaggery, and honey. And vets will be on hand. "

 

The home will consist of 1,000 acres of woodland where each of the elephants

can roam freely, as well as having its own personal pen. There, they will be

fed, watered, bathed and massaged with large pumice stones and coconut husks

by dedicated mahouts (elephant grooms) to keep their blood circulation

healthy.

 

The mahouts will also mix special Ayurvedic tonics from local herbs, which

can be consumed as pills or rubbed into their skin as a balm. Elephants,

including Babu, suffer greatly from allergies.

 

Mr Verghese describes the home as " like a wildlife sanctuary " , with plenty

of trees, reeds and bamboo where the elephants can forage. The surrounding

countryside is mostly rubber plantations and eucalyptus forests.

 

" A temple elephant I saw a few months ago died a painful death, " said Ganesh

Kumar, chairman of the Cochin elephant owners' association.

 

" He was horribly bloated and covered in a rash. He died without any care. If

this home works out, we can prevent such miserable deaths. "

 

The first 30 beasts will move into the sanctuary in May, but officials say

there is plenty of room for expansion when more arrive. The home will also

be open - for a small fee from owners - to elephants who are still working

but are in need of a month's holiday to rejuvenate themselves.

 

" I've seen old elephants who are very sick and need medical care but their

owners don't call the vet because it's so expensive, " said Babu's mahout

Vinod Kumar.

 

" Elephants can drink up to 60 bottles of glucose! The home will be a good

option for them. "

 

Described by Mr Vinod as a patient, hard-working and good-natured animal,

Babu now amuses a crowd of awestruck schoolchildren by relieving himself

prodigiously.

 

It has been a long day, standing in a truck to travel 50 miles to the temple

in Cochin. Elephants are an integral part of Keralan culture.

 

The southwestern state, best known for its verdant scenery and tranquil

backwaters, has 650 captive elephants - the highest number of any Indian

state. No religious procession is complete without one (or several) to

provide some glamour and solemnity.

 

In recent years, their popularity has surged and the picturesque port of

Cochin is dotted with posters announcing the arrival of particularly famous

elephants as though they were rock stars.

 

The most charismatic beasts even have fan clubs and are judged in beauty

contests.

 

" Now even churches and mosques have taken to parading elephants around.

People are mad about elephants, " said Jose Louise, senior programme officer

with the Wildlife Trust of India, which first proposed setting up the home.

 

A handful work in logging but as cranes have taken over, the vast majority

of elephants are used in temples. Their work is gruelling.

 

During ceremonies, they often stand in the scorching heat for hours on end

and walk long distances from one temple to another. They are also great

symbols of social prestige. They require 880lb (63st) of fodder a month, as

well as medical aid and three mahouts each.

 

Vivek Menon, the trust's executive director, quotes a famous Kerala saying

that alludes to this ruinous expense: 'if you have an enemy, give him an

elephant'. Wildlife advisers say the animals should work only eight hours a

day and avoid the searing midday sun. Some respect these guidelines, others

do not.

 

" Some owners are callous. They let their elephants die painful deaths,

unwilling to spend money on them once they are too old or weak or ill to

work. I know cases of elephants being fed urea by their owners, " said Mr

Menon.

 

When the old age home opens, at least it will provide a safety valve for

those who are fed up and grumpy with being overworked.

 

" We want to save them from the cruelties not just of old age but the

cruelties of their owners who show old elephants no gratitude for a

lifetime's labour, " said Mr Verghese.