Owner, mahout booked for neglected elephant in Kozhikode

The Forest department has registered a case against the owner and mahout of an elephant, Cheriyaparambath Gopalan, for allegedly failing to provide the animal with adequate food and care.

The action followed an inspection by a team of forest officials and veterinary doctors at the owner’s residence in Ekarool near Unnikulam in Kozhikode district.

Blood samples collected from the elephant were sent to Pookode Veterinary College for analysis. The report indicated severe malnutrition and inadequate care.

During the inspection, officials found that the elephant was not being fed the prescribed diet recorded in its care register. The inadequate feeding had left the animal severely weakened, they said. Injuries and sores caused by chains rubbing against its legs were also found.

There were allegations that the elephant had been used for timber-hauling work despite its poor health.The elephant was placed under the care of social forestry officials and veterinary doctors, who are overseeing its feeding and treatmen.

The owner, meanwhile, said the elephant had been receiving treatment from a doctor in Thrissur because of its weakness. He claimed that it had last been taken to a temple procession during the previous Thrissur Pooram and had not been used for timber hauling or other strenuous work in recent months.