Source: www.deccanherald.com
CHENNAI, INDIA, August 8, 2010: Over 100-odd captive elephants kept in various famous temples of Tamil Nadu are plagued by one ill-health or the other. Woken up by a recent study by researchers of the Wildlife Science Department of the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University here that found nearly 90 per cent of the temple elephants suffering from one or more serious foot ailments, there is at last some action.
The study forced veterinarians, foresters, zoo-keepers, temple administrators and mahouts (including of privately-owned elephants) to discuss the health aspects of temple elephants in TN at the Vandaloor Zoological Park near here recently. The net result was a new diet and fitness regimen was finalized for the jumbos, official sources said.
Fifteen-year-old Parvathy, a pachyderm brought from Assam who attracts thousands of pilgrims at the famous Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, now has a shower-bath twice a day after authorities fixed a new shower for her. The mahouts at various temples have been firmly told to take them out on hour-long walks twice a day.
The daily menu for an adult temple elephant includes 550 lbs. of grass to be supplemented by twigs and leaves from mango or neem trees. They are also fed with large nutritious balls (‘Urundai’ in Tamil) thrice a day. Plus the inevitable dessert of at least a dozen bananas after each meal. The temple elephants will need to be given a periodic oil massages and multi-vitaman tablets once a month.