Two Theppakadu camp elephants retire from service in Nilgiris

Believed to be over 58-years-old, ‘Mudumalai’ and ‘Moorthy’ were used for kumki operations to drive away wild elephants having negative interactions with humans or to capture elephants

Two senior elephants at the Theppakadu Elephant Camp in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) retired from taking part in kumki operations and other jobs earmarked to keep captive elephants active at the camp on Monday evening.

The two elephants, ‘Mudumalai’ and ‘Moorthy’ are believed to be over 58-years-old and have been used in the past for kumki operations to drive away wild elephants having negative interactions with humans or to capture elephants. Over the last few years, Mudumalai, one of the oldest elephants at the camp, and also the largest, has lived a mostly comfortable life, with tasks including gathering feed for other elephants at the camp, said forest department officials.

The elephant, Moorthy, was captured by the Tamil Nadu forest department in 1998, when he is alleged to have killed more than 20 people in Kerala, prompting the government to issue an order that approved his killing.

As the elephant fled into Tamil Nadu, he was captured and made a captive elephant at Theppakadu. At the elephant camp, which forest department officials said was one of the oldest and best-run in Asia, Moorthy was gradually trained into a kumki elephant, and over the years, has gained a reputation as being one of the most docile and obedient elephants at the camp. “Till today, a number of bullet injuries inflicted on Moorthy by people who tried to shoot him remain visible,” said a forest department official.

On Monday, Field Director of MTR, D. Venkatesh, attended an event organized to felicitate the two elephants that had rendered many years of service to the forest department.

The elephants were given fruits as a treat to mark the occasion. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Venkatesh said that Moorthy and Mudumalai will join four other elephants that have been retired from taking part in operations undertaken by the forest department. “They will spend the rest of their lives near the elephant camp,” he added.