Coimbatore : The 25-year-old elephant that was taken out of the wooden cage (kraal) would be spending the rest of his life in chains under the watchful eyes of his mahout, his new master.
Coimbatore : The 25-year-old elephant that was taken out of the wooden cage (kraal) would be spending the rest of his life in chains under the watchful eyes of his mahout, his new master.
It was a regular winter night in the Thadagam Valley and most of the residents were sound asleep with lights on at their doorsteps. This is one of the many hacks used by the local people to keep straying elephants away from their houses. Nine out ten elephants would want to keep away from such situations, but not Chinnathambi. He had walked straight through the fence of a farmhouse at Thadagam and has started eating from a sack of rice.
Having roamed the Thadagam Valley for the larger part of his life as a wild elephant, Chinnathambi has developed a peculiar habit of being tolerant to human presence, a trait used by some less aggressive crop raiding elephants. He was so less tolerant that despite a girl standing there videotaping him on a phone at a close distance, Chinnathambi was unperturbed and went about his business of eating the rice.
This peculiar behaviour interested many a science folk in Coimbatore and even photographers were drawn to the massive attention Chinnathambi was gaining. However, it turned out to be very dangerous for the tusker. Shockingly, people who have followed his trail closely revealed information that would knock us down.
Of all food items in the forest and even farmland in the case habitual crop raiders, Chinnathambi was fed with groundnut candy, chips and what not. Now, this is a proper habituated elephant. This behaviour was proving to be worrisome for experts and they attempted reversing it by giving negative conditioning. Though it seemed to work initially as Chinnathambi was afraid of the Kumkis that came to chase him, the presence of another massive tusker Vinayagan proved difficult for the department to manage the situation.
Political and social pressure was also high and the matter was discussed in Coimbatore in detail. Farmers continued to protest forcing the Government to issue capture orders for both the elephants. Though they meant no harm to human lives, the damage to property, influencing other tuskers to crop raid and close proximity to humans proved very convincing for the department personnel to carry out the capture.
Vinayagan was captured in December 2018 and was taken to Mudumalai and in less than 40 days, Chinnathambi was also captured from Thadagam. He was translocated to Varagaliyaru in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR). While Vinayagan started getting used to his new area, Chinnathambi took a dangerous step outside the reserve and continued his exodus covering three districts including Coimbatore, Tirupur and Dindigul.
Chinnathambi moving out of the forest was a shocker even for foresters who were on his trail as the route he took to venture out was very steep and dangerous for an elephant. “We strongly believed that he would not take the route as it would be a fatal decision. But, he proved us wrong and strayed out during the night,” said a senior official from Topslip.
He camped near sugarcane fields in Udumalpet and seemed to have found a new lifestyle living very far away from forested landscape and living on sugarcanes, rice and plantains. He became a social media sensation in a few days and millions thronged the web in support of the tusker who was “Returning to his homeland”.
However, it was not meant to be and Chinnathambi proved to be a crop raider who was not harming anybody. But the situation was turning chaotic with farmers protesting again and the court ordered Chinnathambi to be captured and trained as a camp elephant, which was also a suggestion of the science community.
Chinnathambi’s 16 days trek ended on the 15th of February and he was captured again and taken to the same Varagaliyaru reserve in ATR, only this time, to be shut inside a kraal. He was no Kumki material because of his rather calmer temperament. He had even befriended Kumki elephant Kaleem who had come to scare him.
Chinnathambi was made to feel comfortable with the presence of Kaleem and was shut inside the Kraal on the 16th of February. Unlike other wild elephants, he was surprisingly calmer inside the kraal and was handfed on day one.
Despite rumours of ill health and sickness, Chinnathambi was closely monitored by a team of veterinary doctors. The only surprise he threw was the number of days he spent inside the kraal. 132 in total!
When Chinnathambi was finally out on Friday, there was no wildness left in him. A mark of kunkumam and santhanam on the forehead, a dangling bell around the neck and reckless and noisy chains tied on the feet. This is the new Chinnathambi. He will now be a regular camp elephant doing nothing much of interest. He is also not be used in Kumki operations like other elephants and would a docile beast with a massive heart.
It was a regular winter night in the Thadagam Valley and most of the residents were sound asleep with lights on at their doorsteps. This is one of the many hacks used by the local people to keep straying elephants away from their houses. Nine out ten elephants would want to keep away from such situations, but not Chinnathambi. He had walked straight through the fence of a farmhouse at Thadagam and has started eating from a sack of rice.
Having roamed the Thadagam Valley for the larger part of his life as a wild elephant, Chinnathambi has developed a peculiar habit of being tolerant to human presence, a trait used by some less aggressive crop raiding elephants. He was so less tolerant that despite a girl standing there videotaping him on a phone at a close distance, Chinnathambi was unperturbed and went about his business of eating the rice.
This peculiar behaviour interested many a science folk in Coimbatore and even photographers were drawn to the massive attention Chinnathambi was gaining. However, it turned out to be very dangerous for the tusker. Shockingly, people who have followed his trail closely revealed information that would knock us down.
Of all food items in the forest and even farmland in the case habitual crop raiders, Chinnathambi was fed with groundnut candy, chips and what not. Now, this is a proper habituated elephant. This behaviour was proving to be worrisome for experts and they attempted reversing it by giving negative conditioning. Though it seemed to work initially as Chinnathambi was afraid of the Kumkis that came to chase him, the presence of another massive tusker Vinayagan proved difficult for the department to manage the situation.
Political and social pressure was also high and the matter was discussed in Coimbatore in detail. Farmers continued to protest forcing the Government to issue capture orders for both the elephants. Though they meant no harm to human lives, the damage to property, influencing other tuskers to crop raid and close proximity to humans proved very convincing for the department personnel to carry out the capture.
Vinayagan was captured in December 2018 and was taken to Mudumalai and in less than 40 days, Chinnathambi was also captured from Thadagam. He was translocated to Varagaliyaru in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR). While Vinayagan started getting used to his new area, Chinnathambi took a dangerous step outside the reserve and continued his exodus covering three districts including Coimbatore, Tirupur and Dindigul.
Chinnathambi moving out of the forest was a shocker even for foresters who were on his trail as the route he took to venture out was very steep and dangerous for an elephant. “We strongly believed that he would not take the route as it would be a fatal decision. But, he proved us wrong and strayed out during the night,” said a senior official from Topslip.
He camped near sugarcane fields in Udumalpet and seemed to have found a new lifestyle living very far away from forested landscape and living on sugarcanes, rice and plantains. He became a social media sensation in a few days and millions thronged the web in support of the tusker who was “Returning to his homeland”.
However, it was not meant to be and Chinnathambi proved to be a crop raider who was not harming anybody. But the situation was turning chaotic with farmers protesting again and the court ordered Chinnathambi to be captured and trained as a camp elephant, which was also a suggestion of the science community.
Chinnathambi’s 16 days trek ended on the 15th of February and he was captured again and taken to the same Varagaliyaru reserve in ATR, only this time, to be shut inside a kraal. He was no Kumki material because of his rather calmer temperament. He had even befriended Kumki elephant Kaleem who had come to scare him.
Chinnathambi was made to feel comfortable with the presence of Kaleem and was shut inside the Kraal on the 16th of February. Unlike other wild elephants, he was surprisingly calmer inside the kraal and was handfed on day one.
Despite rumours of ill health and sickness, Chinnathambi was closely monitored by a team of veterinary doctors. The only surprise he threw was the number of days he spent inside the kraal. 132 in total!
When Chinnathambi was finally out on Friday, there was no wildness left in him. A mark of kunkumam and santhanam on the forehead, a dangling bell around the neck and reckless and noisy chains tied on the feet. This is the new Chinnathambi. He will now be a regular camp elephant doing nothing much of interest. He is also not be used in Kumki operations like other elephants and would a docile beast with a massive heart.