Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Elepahant dung


180Kg of waste in a day from an adult elephant!!! A messy problem for mahouts and keepers. A story from Pinnawela elephant orphanage of Srilanka with 60 elephants. Now they started making eco friendly paper from the elephant dung. Elephant dung which pass through series of processes will turn into ordinary paper and it will be bacteria free also. Elephants are poor digesters. Dung is fibre rich. The orphanage use the profit of this paper to the well being these pachyderms itself.

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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Elephant bath

Elephants love water. Elephants bath is a time consuming process for mahouts. In Kerala there may be 2 or 3 mahouts(pappan) for an elephant. They scrub the body of the elephant with coconut husks. This will remove the dirt and increase the blood circulation. Its very interesting to see this huge bath. Elephant will change its positions according to the instruction of 'Pappan'.
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Elephant patrol in Wayanad to check poaching

Kerala Forest Department started anti- poaching patrol among the thick forest of Kerala-Tamil nadu border according to the information from the Thamil Nadu authorities about the poaching in this area. The team consists of 3 elephants their mahouts and forest officials. The elephants belong to the Forest Department of Kerala.
According to them elephant patrolling has many advantages.

  • We can travel through thick forests
  • Elephant riding provides better surveillance
  • Protection from wild animals

They spend three days at a stretch which gave a close look of the activities inside the forest area.

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Monday, August 25, 2008

Elephant Park at Eroor

Baby elephant from Thailand
A happy news to the elephant lovers of Kerala to have an elephant park in Thripunithura. The abandoned 'aanaparambu' of Eroor will attract tourists with its new face as an elephant park with viewers gallery, a reference library for elephant lovers and quarters for mahouts etc. The Cochin Devaswom Board co-operating with Thripunithura Municipality and Elephant care are taking efforts to launch the shelter for elephants as soon as possible. The spacious ground with a well placed pond is the appropriate place for elephants. Its also the place of Poornathrayeesha, the god with elephant craze.

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Saturday, August 23, 2008

Ezhunnallippu

Elephant march during the 'parayeduppu' of poonithura kottaram temple, thripunithura.
Panchavadyam means Orchestra which consists of five instruments. idakka,kombu,maddalam,thilmila and ilathalam are the five instruments used in Panchavadyam.
Panchavadyam shots from Gandhi square in Kochi
Caparisoned elephant shots with kolam on the top.
'Thidambu' of the chief diety of Poonithura Kottaram temple, Pettah
Elephant march in a temple at Kochi accompanied by Panchavadyam.
Elephant with Muthukkuda, nettippattom, venchamaram and aalavattom.

Para ezhunnallippu of Poonithura Kottaram temple on Ashtamirohini. Caparisoned elephants accompanied by panchavadyam. Poonithura temple has strong relation with poornathrayeesha temple. According to legends, it is the place where Arjuna and the brahmin descended in santhana gopala story. Here Arjuna took the idol from 'pooni' , brought from vaikunda. Thus the name poonithura came. Muthukulangara temple at Eroor also has connections with the Poornathrayeesha temple.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Elephants Orphanage

Picture from Pinnawallah elephant Orphanage in Sree lanka.
The inauguaration ceremony of the elephant Orphanage at Kottur will be held on 26th August freeing 5 elephants into the confined area. Kottur is near to the Agasthyavanam in Thiruvananthapuram District. The exact place of the rehabilitation Centre is at Kappukad. The first stage of the orphanage had completed with the help of 'Project Elephant' by the India Government. Here we have a close interaction with these animals. Facilities for Elephant Safari is also here.
According to the Kerala Forest Department this will be a retirement home for the sick and injured animals. There they have freedom for roaming in protected areas. A team of experts will be there to look after them. Above all a chain free life is the most striking feature of this institution. Wild calves that can not be send back will be admitted to the orphanage. The centre will have the facility to accommodate 30 elephants at a time. This may be the first in India aiming the welfare of the animals.
Females with calves will be in one area. Tuskers will have separate area. Each male will be separated by electric fence. Surely this attempt will reduce the abuse and mishandling of elephants.
The centre also accept donations from animal lovers across the world. The authorities are planning to start a paper making unit from elephant dung. Such units are very popular in Thailand and Sree Lanka.
Kottur is the Head quarters of Agasthyavanam Biological Park. It is around 35Km away from the Trivandrum town. Agasthyakoodam is the second highest peak of Kerala. Forest is named after this peak. In this park we can have trekking through the wild, bird watching and videography.


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Elephants hospital in Kerala


Kerala, the land of elephant craze people had taken a strong step towards the well fare of captive elephants. A hospital had started for elephants at North Paravur. Hospital's proprieter is Ramesh Peruvaram who is also an elephant owner. Elephants with wounds need long term treatment with patience. Dedicated veterinarians are there to care them. Medicines are prepared in the hospital itself. Within 6 months more than 30 elephants came there to have a better living.

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