Drunk mahout on kumki puts tourists in trouble

Coimbatore: A ‘kumki’ elephant deployed for elephant safaris at ‘Monkey Falls’ near Aliyar in Pollachi was temporarily removed from service after an allegedly drunk mahout picked up a quarrel with some tourists during a safari ride inside the forest area.

According to a Forest department official, Kalpana and Bharani the two ‘kumki’ elephants have been deployed at ‘Monkey Falls’ for elephant safaris inside the forest to develop eco-tourism.