Activists welcome high court order to shift temple elephant to Theppakadu camp

Udhagamandalam: Wildlife activists on Thursday welcomed the court order to shift Samayapuram temple elephant Masini to Theppakadu camp in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the Nilgiris. Forest officials, however, said they were yet to receive any communication from the court in this regard. The elephant, which killed its mahout G. Gajendran, 42, on Samayapuram temple premises on May 25, is undergoing rehabilitation and treatment at Veterinary College and Research Institute in Orathanadu.
While welcoming the order of the Madurai bench of Madras high court, K Kalidas, president, OSAI, said it was a wrong move to send the elephant, which was reared in a camp, to a temple. “Before bringing back Masini, it should be tested for any disease that it might have contracted during the stay at the temple. We cannot risk the health of other elephants in the camp. A full-time veterinarian should be appointed at MTR,” he said.TNN