A home coming up at Kottoor for elephants

The proposed state-of-the-art elephant rehabilitation centre (ERC) at Kottoor is envisaged to enable the Forest Department to strictly enforce the licensing system for mahouts in the State.

Among its various components, the proposed facility will have a training and skill development centre that will be utilised for providing continuous training for the mahouts and owners of captive elephants. The mechanism will be used to revive the mandatory licensing system for mahouts and ensure an effective streamlining of the mechanism.

Besides, development of the rehabilitation centre also provided the department the opportunity to take charge of captive elephants that were being ill treated, official sources said.

A short-term residential internship programme, primarily focusing on elephants, would also be launched, for students of the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, at the training and skill development centre.

The rehabilitation centre would also include an elephant museum and a specialised hospital for the animals. Specially designed trucks would be utilised an ambulances for transporting injured elephants from across the State to Kottoor.

Work to commence in October

According to K.J. Varughese, special officer for the project, the construction works in connection with the project will commence in October and the tentative deadline has been fixed as August or September 2020. The Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB)-funded project, which will have an outlay of ₹105 crore, will be executed in two phases: one, construction, and the other, landscaping, capacity building, and training.

As part of landscaping, large-scale afforestation will be undertaken. The enclosures will be planted with palms and other species including Ficus benghalensis (Peraal) to replicate the elephant ecosystem. Its periphery will have bamboo, while ornamental species will be used for gardening close to the elephant museum and other areas that will be frequented by people.

The enclosures have been designed with a two-tier barrier system with trenches and solar fences separating them with the pathway for visitors. The rehabilitation centre is being developed on a total area of 200 hectares of which around half will be reserved for the elephant habitat. Around 60 elephants could be accommodated in the proposed facility.

The preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) for the project is nearing completion with its submission likely before May 31. The process for identifying the executing agency from among those which have been accredited by the State government will commence on Monday.