Forest Department has an elephantine task on hand

The Forest Department is set to groom the next batch of frontline elephants for Dasara duties as the current line-up of “stars” are almost past their prime.

While the howdah elephant Arjuna is 58 years, Balarama, who carried the golden howdah 13 times, is 60 years. So is Prashantha who at 62 may be part of the procession for a few more years but will never get to carry the 750 kg golden howdah with the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari. The other regulars include Vijaya, 61, and Varalakshmi who is 62 years and may soon be retired from Dasara duties.

That leaves the Forest Department with Abhimanyu who at 52 has enough stamina to carry the golden howdah in the future. “Abhimanyu is ever ready and a standby in case of an emergency as he has participated in Mysuru Dasara 20 times so far,” said veterinarian D.N. Nagaraj, responsible for the well-being of elephants when camping in the city.

Over 2.68 metres in height and 3.51 metres in length, Abhimanyu – who weighs over five tonnes – is temperamentally stoical but courageous and leads the charge to subdue and help capture “rogue” elephants that come into conflict in human habitation surrounding forests.

But his back is not flat enough to easily balance the howdah and hence is entrusted with other tasks such as drawing the music cart or to lead the procession by carrying the royal insignia along with Balarama.

Meanwhile, the authorities have zeroed in on young Drona who is all but 37.

“Temperamentally he is akin to Balarama – calm and composed under all circumstances, displaying enough maturity to handle stress and his near-flat back makes it possible to balance the howdah easily,” according to Dr. Nagaraj.

Drona was captured a few years ago in Hassan division and is attached to Mathigodu elephant camp in Nagarahole. He made his Dasara debut last year. Officials have already identified a few elephants in their mid-30s and these include Dhananjaya, Gopi, Gopalswamy, and even Vikrama who is 45 years old and has taken part in the Dasara 15 times so far.

It takes about six to seven years of regular Dasara participation for an elephant to get acclimatised and to be considered fit for carrying the howdah. Ranga, captured in Bengaluru Rural, was another possible contender. But his death in an accident this month put paid to those hopes.

There are nearly 100 elephants in the jungle camps of Mathigodu, Dubare, Balle, and Sakrebail and the authorities have the task cut out to identify the new generation of pachyderms for Dasara duties.

Big task

For the officials, identifying an elephant for the mammoth task of carrying the howdah is a difficult task.

For, it has to meet many criteria that are not formalised but are traditional. The elephant has to be calm under duress and not easily excitable. This entails the forest officials to observe the various elephants in their camps closely over an extended period of time.

Again, the elephant’s back should be flat so as to balance the howdah. Its overall personality, including physique and gait, too matters. And there should be a standby in case of any emergency. There are records of officials traversing as far as Assam and Burma (Myanmar) in quest of the “right elephant” during the days of the maharajas.

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