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| India-Pakistan |
| Elephants who refuse to be taken for a ride |
| 2007-08-03 |
| If you think you can take these elephants for a ride, then think twice. Juhi and Anarkali are two she-elephants giving joy rides to tourists at Betla National Park in Jharkhand. However, if forced to work beyond their working hours they simply refuse to budge. Both the elephants are more than content to take tourists on their backs into the deep forests of the park in the morning hours. But, when the sun is at its peak at noon, they simply refuse to work and take a break. It is only when shadows lengthen that they are ready to resume. Again, when evening gives way to twilight the two elephants start showing signs of disgruntlement almost as if they want stop work for the day. A forest official claims that these elephants allow only two rides in the morning. "You cannot force them for a third trip," he said. Recently, a mahout had tried to force Juhi to go on a third trip and ended up having to pay the price. So enraged was Juhi that she threw the mahout off her back fracturing the poor man's legs. "These she-elephants strictly follow a routine and do not work beyond their regular work schedule. They do not like to work in the afternoon. If they are forced to work, they react angrily," said the forest official. These elephants are fed around 70 kg of fodder every day and the State Government has allocated Rs 1.50 lakh for them. This includes the salaries of the mahouts. Even as these elephants may be giving pleasure rides to tourists there are herds of elephants which are wrecking havoc in other parts of Jharkhand. Often wild elephants invade human habitations and destroy standing crops, houses and attack people. In the last six years, over 600 persons have been trampled to death by elephants. Experts say that shrinking forest cover is the main reason for such human-animal encounters. More than 70 elephants had also died in the last five years due to different reasons such as electrocution, poaching and disease. |
| Posted by:john frum |
| #1 I've known 'dude' horses like that. No way could you get them out on the trail near feeding time. |
| Posted by: GK 2007-08-03 20:15 |