Annual rejuvenation camp for elephants commences in Kerala

With the onset of southwest monsoon, owners of captive elephants take their animals for a month-long annual rejuvenation camp at Punathur near the temple town of Guruvayur in Kerala.

This year the retreat, locally named 'Aanayoottu', is providing restorative treatment to the huge elephants with the help of a team of veterinary specialists

'Aanayoottu' in Malayalam means feeding. Elephants are given specially prepared food, comprising of cooked rice with ghee, wheat flour, powdered black gram, palm jaggery and herbal powders, which is valued for its high medicinal value.

Dr. Rajiv, an Assistant Professor at a Veterinary College, is supervising the treatment rendered to the animals. He said with this treatment; the overall physiological behaviour of the elephants improves.

"Its blood supply improves and if there is any itching then he gets rid of that also at this camp. So its entire system, physiological behaviour and the entire body condition improves with the treatment rendered by us," he added

At the camp, the elephants are first fed in the morning and later taken for a luxurious bath at the pond where mahouts and attendants scrub their bodies to relieve it of all exertion and make it feel at ease.

"With the commencement of the monsoon season, all elephants are given a special kind of treatment for one month. In this treatment they are given medicines including proteins, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates. All these are mixed in a balanced proportion and fed to the elephants," added Dr. Rajiv.

The formulation is administered to the animals to protect and improve their health during the monsoon months when they are not taken for any temple parade or any other work and are provided complete rest.