Mysuru: Four palace elephants to be rehabilitated in Gujarat

Mysuru: The erstwhile Royal family of the Mysuru will send Four female elephants to a rehabilitation centre in Gujarat. The family have 6 elephants in palace of which four will be sent.

The elephants were rescued from Gemini Circus decades ago following a Court order. Animal rights activists had petitioned the Court where they claimed that the elephants were being tortured in the name of entertainment. The Court had ordered the Forest Department to take

over the elephants.Following the Court order, the then scion of Mysore royal family Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar had volunteered to take care of the elephants and accordingly, they were sent to the Palace.

In March 2017 last Pramoda Devi Wadiyar had asked the Forest Department to take back three elephants due to administrative inconvenience as there were problems with a few elephant handlers who were not doing a proper job of looking after the elephants.

Though many letters were exchanged between Pramoda Devi Wadiyar and the Forest Department, the elephants remained inside the Palace due to bureaucratic tangles and other issues.

The Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) K. Kamala Karikalan told that senior forest officials from Centre and Wildlife Protection Fund have gave nod to shift elephants. She said elephants Seetha, Ruby,Gemini and Rajeshwari will be shifted while Chanchala and Preethi will remain with the Palace.

The decision has been taken keeping in mind the health of the elephants that have been stationed inside the Palace since decades. The female elephants do not have male companions and keeping a constant eye on their health is turning out to be a tough affair.