Pollachi: Judging him to be anywhere between 20 and 25 years of age, Chinnathambi had been living a free life driven by his freewill and want of resources. It is the last six months that have been very animated for him seeing more crackers and more people following his trail, and seeing a fellow tusker Vinayagan, being eliminated from his terrain.
As the famous Malasar tribe of Anamalai hills accept Chinnathambi as their own, the tusker is being allowed to interact with other camp elephants in the first phase of training
Pollachi: Judging him to be anywhere between 20 and 25 years of age, Chinnathambi had been living a free life driven by his freewill and want of resources. It is the last six months that have been very animated for him seeing more crackers and more people following his trail, and seeing a fellow tusker Vinayagan, being eliminated from his terrain.
It is during this period that Chinnathambi faced his worst nightmares of tranquilisers, ropes, hostile Kumki elephants, forest department truck, flashing cameras of media people and a new territory with a radio collar on 26th of January. The last 17 days have been even more animated with sugarcane and maize and huge mobs and a lethargic life in sugarcane fields guided by foresters calling him “Dei Chinnthambi, Dei Chinnathambi”
For the first time, Chinnathambi’s life is undergoing a few changes that would stay with him for the rest of his life. He is to spend atleast a month – which could extend depending upon his response to the training – inside a Kraal and undergo rigorous training to make him become habituated to the life of a camp elephant.
Though the Kraal would be taken out of his life and he would be freed at some point, the chains in his legs will never go off and his life will always revolve around the Mahout and Kaavadi (second mahout) who are posted to manage him.
Unlike the thoughts of many, Chinnathambi’s calm behaviour is only going to complete his training process very soon. “He has not shown any signs of aggression and is very calm unlike the usual wild elephants that are trained by us,” said a higher official from Ulandhy Range, where the Varagaliyaru training campsite is located.
The first stage of his training has already begun, where he is made to get along with fellow camp elephants. The Kraal in which he was shut early morning on Saturday is being surrounded by camp elephants, that try to touch the new comer and make him feel home.
“If he should stay in this camp, he should know our elephants and make friends. This will make this place comfortable for him and he is getting along well,” the official said. Chinnathambi will be given visual lessons where other elephants will be made to work and follow instructions, seeing which he would understand the nature of his life in the camp.
The method would also involve receiving a few hard beating from the sticks of the mahouts if he fails to obey. “We have been hearing so many news about us beating the animal badly during the training process. This is not how it is done. Once the elephant enters our village, it becomes part of family and the whole village. We would never hurt the animal badly,” said a youngster from area, where Chinnathambi would spend the rest of his life.
He further added that Chinnathambi will be made to roam around the jungle once he is fully trained and will be used as a Kumki depending upon his temperament. If he is not Kumki material, he will spend the life doing meagre works like elephant safari.
“He should get used to the food here, half of which is cooked by us and the rest is from the forest. We will feed him with fodder always and make sure he gets ample food and water. He will never go hungry,” a mahout added.
The ultimate step is to mount on Chinnathambi, which is the toughest part of a training process. He would be hand-fed by the mahout and touched often to make him feel comfortable and mounting will be the final step. Once the mahout sits on the animal and Chinnathambi responds to his calls, he will out of the Kraal forever.
Being the first case of an elephant being taken into captivity after translocation, the star studded elephant Chinnathambi is well accepted in the mahout community of the Anamalai Hills.
The entire Malasar village was awake around 10.00 pm to check on the tusker and was happy to welcome a new comer into their village.
With experienced mahouts around and able fellow Kumkis, Chinnathambi is safe in the hands of the Malarasar tribesmen.
Throwing before him a small twig usually preferred by elephants in front of him, an old mahout in the campsite said, “Eat, this is what you will have to survive on,” as Chinnathambi started munching on a forest grown tree for the first time in a long time.
Pollachi: Judging him to be anywhere between 20 and 25 years of age, Chinnathambi had been living a free life driven by his freewill and want of resources. It is the last six months that have been very animated for him seeing more crackers and more people following his trail, and seeing a fellow tusker Vinayagan, being eliminated from his terrain.
It is during this period that Chinnathambi faced his worst nightmares of tranquilisers, ropes, hostile Kumki elephants, forest department truck, flashing cameras of media people and a new territory with a radio collar on 26th of January. The last 17 days have been even more animated with sugarcane and maize and huge mobs and a lethargic life in sugarcane fields guided by foresters calling him “Dei Chinnthambi, Dei Chinnathambi”
For the first time, Chinnathambi’s life is undergoing a few changes that would stay with him for the rest of his life. He is to spend atleast a month – which could extend depending upon his response to the training – inside a Kraal and undergo rigorous training to make him become habituated to the life of a camp elephant.
Though the Kraal would be taken out of his life and he would be freed at some point, the chains in his legs will never go off and his life will always revolve around the Mahout and Kaavadi (second mahout) who are posted to manage him.
Unlike the thoughts of many, Chinnathambi’s calm behaviour is only going to complete his training process very soon. “He has not shown any signs of aggression and is very calm unlike the usual wild elephants that are trained by us,” said a higher official from Ulandhy Range, where the Varagaliyaru training campsite is located.
The first stage of his training has already begun, where he is made to get along with fellow camp elephants. The Kraal in which he was shut early morning on Saturday is being surrounded by camp elephants, that try to touch the new comer and make him feel home.
“If he should stay in this camp, he should know our elephants and make friends. This will make this place comfortable for him and he is getting along well,” the official said. Chinnathambi will be given visual lessons where other elephants will be made to work and follow instructions, seeing which he would understand the nature of his life in the camp.
The method would also involve receiving a few hard beating from the sticks of the mahouts if he fails to obey. “We have been hearing so many news about us beating the animal badly during the training process. This is not how it is done. Once the elephant enters our village, it becomes part of family and the whole village. We would never hurt the animal badly,” said a youngster from area, where Chinnathambi would spend the rest of his life.
He further added that Chinnathambi will be made to roam around the jungle once he is fully trained and will be used as a Kumki depending upon his temperament. If he is not Kumki material, he will spend the life doing meagre works like elephant safari.
“He should get used to the food here, half of which is cooked by us and the rest is from the forest. We will feed him with fodder always and make sure he gets ample food and water. He will never go hungry,” a mahout added.
The ultimate step is to mount on Chinnathambi, which is the toughest part of a training process. He would be hand-fed by the mahout and touched often to make him feel comfortable and mounting will be the final step. Once the mahout sits on the animal and Chinnathambi responds to his calls, he will out of the Kraal forever.
Being the first case of an elephant being taken into captivity after translocation, the star studded elephant Chinnathambi is well accepted in the mahout community of the Anamalai Hills.
The entire Malasar village was awake around 10.00 pm to check on the tusker and was happy to welcome a new comer into their village.
With experienced mahouts around and able fellow Kumkis, Chinnathambi is safe in the hands of the Malarasar tribesmen.
Throwing before him a small twig usually preferred by elephants in front of him, an old mahout in the campsite said, “Eat, this is what you will have to survive on,” as Chinnathambi started munching on a forest grown tree for the first time in a long time.