Mysuru: If everything goes on as per plans then Dasara elephants will have an exclusive camp so as to ensure coordination and good health of dasara elephants. As per sources, the issue will be taken up by the forest officials with the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest in Bengaluru during a meeting slated to be held next month and if the proposal is given green signal then the camp may come up at Nagarahole or Bandipur.
The camps will enable the care-takers to give utmost attention and care to the Dasara elephants round the year. As against the practice of providing holistic food to the pachyderms just when the Dasara festivity is around, with the camp in place, special diet rich in protein and carbohydrates can be fed to the jumbos everyday. The rich diet would include green gram, wheat, boiled rice, vegetables, jaggery, black gram, sugarcane, cereals, pulses, onions and coconut which make them gain more weight.
MK Devaraj, RFO said “Once the camp is set up for the dasara elephants it will enable good relation among elephants which is very important. Now with the present system, just 45 days prior to dasara event, these elephants are brought from different camps. Elephants to get adjusted may take their own time, hence if we have exclusive camp for dasara elephants, it will enable them to get good understanding and there will be no need for rehearsal for 40 or 45 days. Instead if there is exclusive camp for dasara elephants, as the elephants will be having good understanding and good health, they can be brought to palace just 15 or 20 days prior to Jumbo Savari. This will also curtain down the cost of government. Prior to start of the dasara discussion on this was taken up and it will be brought to the notice of PCCF. The move is also important to enhance the co-ordination between the Mahouts, Kavadis and the elephants”.
During dasara, every day at an average Rs 3,000 to Rs 4000 is spent on each dasara elephant’s by the government.
