Bhubaneswar, Odisha Forest Department has introduced comprehensive facilities (kitchen, restaurant, night shelter, bathing area and playing field) for elephants at Kumki Elephant Training Center at Kumarkhunti, located within Chandaka wildlife division , near here.
Inaugurated on March 6 this year, the center now houses six elephants: Mama, Chandu, Uma, Kartik, Master Jaga and Shankar.
These gentle giants are under the care of 13 mahouts and assistant mahouts from Odisha and Assam.
The young pachyderms, separated from their herds, are receiving training to help manage human-elephant conflicts by chasing wild herds away from human habitations, officials said.
These elephants have been brought from various forest areas of Odisha, including Similipal and Kapilas, according to Sarat Chandra Behera, divisional forest officer (DFO) of Chandaka wildlife division.
To ensure effective training of elephants, the center has set up several specialized facilities, including a restaurant with designated areas for each elephant, said Somya Ranjan Beura, forest officer of Chandaka wildlife division.
The day begins with a brisk morning walk and light exercises, followed by a breakfast of bananas, coconuts, carrots, sugar cane and watermelons at 8:30 am, he said.
After breakfast, the elephants perform training activities until lunch time. After a one-hour bath in the Kumarakhunti dam, the elephants are served a lunch consisting of six kilograms of wheat, five kilograms of rice, one kilogram of green gram and one kilogram of horse gram, several millets, two or three kilograms of vegetables and four coconuts. , bananas and 500 grams of brown sugar, all prepared in a special kitchen, he added.
In the afternoon, the elephants participate in recreational activities such as playing football and demonstrating various skills. As night approaches, they are taken to their night shelters, which are situated in front of the mahouts' houses for close surveillance. These shelters are filled with grass, tree branches, banana stems and straw for the elephants to consume during the night.
Inaugurated on March 6 this year, the center now houses six elephants: Mama, Chandu, Uma, Kartik, Master Jaga and Shankar.
These gentle giants are under the care of 13 mahouts and assistant mahouts from Odisha and Assam.
The young pachyderms, separated from their herds, are receiving training to help manage human-elephant conflicts by chasing wild herds away from human habitations, officials said.
These elephants have been brought from various forest areas of Odisha, including Similipal and Kapilas, according to Sarat Chandra Behera, divisional forest officer (DFO) of Chandaka wildlife division.
To ensure effective training of elephants, the center has set up several specialized facilities, including a restaurant with designated areas for each elephant, said Somya Ranjan Beura, forest officer of Chandaka wildlife division.
The day begins with a brisk morning walk and light exercises, followed by a breakfast of bananas, coconuts, carrots, sugar cane and watermelons at 8:30 am, he said.
After breakfast, the elephants perform training activities until lunch time. After a one-hour bath in the Kumarakhunti dam, the elephants are served a lunch consisting of six kilograms of wheat, five kilograms of rice, one kilogram of green gram and one kilogram of horse gram, several millets, two or three kilograms of vegetables and four coconuts. , bananas and 500 grams of brown sugar, all prepared in a special kitchen, he added.
In the afternoon, the elephants participate in recreational activities such as playing football and demonstrating various skills. As night approaches, they are taken to their night shelters, which are situated in front of the mahouts' houses for close surveillance. These shelters are filled with grass, tree branches, banana stems and straw for the elephants to consume during the night.
