Ooty: The perfect 90- day training in kumki activities was enough for three Kerala-based captive elephants to master the nuances of kumki skills at the famed kumki elephant camp at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR). The trio from Kerala returned to their home after taking part in the ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’ celebrations at the elephant camp at the MTR.
The three captive elephants from Kerala - Soorya from Muthanga sanctuary in Wayanad district, Neelakandan from the elephant camp at Ernakulam and Surendran from Koni elephant camp at Pattanamthitta district, arrived in the MTR in July to undergo training in kumki activities. The 90-day training which began on July 15 came to an end on Thursday on ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’ festival day. The three Kerala elephants have returned home.
Stating that this is the first time in MTR history that elephants from other states were trained in kumki skills in the MTR camp, Mr. Pushpakaran, deputy director of MTR, said, “ in a phased manner the kumki elephants in the MTR camp trained the trio in jumbo safari, lifting wind fallen trees, carrying fodder, capturing wild rogue elephants, handling stray jumbos and the man-elephant conflict in the fringe areas.”
