Udhagamandalam: Wildlife activists have said the Samayapuram Mariamman temple elephant trampled its mahout to death last week possibly because it was kept in a totally new environment. They say that a jungle elephant, though tamed, should not have been sent to a different environment. Forest officials said the 12-year-old female elephant, Masini, brought up in the Theppakadu elephant camp in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) was the most obedient of the camp elephants. The activists suspect the mahout’s behaviour was negative and new commands from him might have irritated the pachyderm.
G. Gajendran, 42, was trampled to death around 11am on May 25 on the temple premises in full view of horrified devotees.
In 2006, Masini was found abandoned in the Kargudi range of forests in the MTR. The animal was around 3 months old when it was captured. It was reared in the Theppakadu elephant camp till October 2015 before was sent to the Samayapuram temple as a substitute for the elephant Mariappan. Due to its strange behaviour, Mariappan had been shifted to Top Slip in the Anamalais Tiger Reserve.
Abid Khan, vice-president, Masinagudi Eco Naturalists Club, told TOI, “In 2015 itself, we objected to the shifting of Masini to the temple. It has always been in the jungle, though tamed. Hence, shifting it to a totally new environment would stress the animal. At that time, the forest officials did not heed our request. Now they have seen the real consequence.”
However, a senior forest official, on anonymity, told TOI, “Masini used to be docile and very calm when it was in the Theppakadu camp. Call its name, the elephant will be there. Such was its obedience. That was the reason it was sent to the temple.”
L Sundarrajan, retired assistant conservator of forests, said, “Masini used to be the most obedient of the camp elephants. It used to perform pooja during the Pongal season. We are surprised to learn about the unfortunate incident in the temple.” He said the mahout would have behaved in a negative manner and given new commands to the elephant.
A mahout in the Theppakadu camp said, “The concept of being ‘domesticated’ does not exist in the case of wild animals. Wild is always wild. Also, when it comes to elephants, natural feeding is a must. Concentrated food is not sufficient for any elephant.” He added that in the camp, elephants had good exercise by walking through the woods all day. “Adapting to the weather condition too is stressful for them. Elephants are river animals. They require a lot of water. Above all, Masini would certainly have lacked the bonding it enjoyed in the camp. All put together would have forced the animal to turn violent in the spur of a moment,” he said.
“Making the giant animal, which is supposed to be roaming freely in the forest, to literally beg within the temple premises is indeed sad,” said a wildlife activist.