The Dasara Elephants are usually caught by the elephant trainers via the Khedda operation. During the Wodeyar rule, the elephants thus caught were inspected in an open field for strength, personality, and character.
The walking styles, weaknesses to seduction, the facial charisma were some of the factors considered for selection. Then the chosen elephants were trained for the festival. It is said that the king himself would overlook the training. Sometimes abandoned young elephants are also trained for Dasara.
The abode of the elephants during the rest of the year is usually their training camps and the surrounding National Parks. There are around 70 tamed elephants in exclusive camps at Dubare, Hebballa, Moorkal, Kallalla, Nagarahole, Veeranahosahalli, Metikuppe, Sunkadakatte, Bandipur, Moolehole, K. Gudi and Bheemeshwari. About 240 Mahouts and kavadis take care of the needs of these elephants and develop a bond with them. The main tamed elephants are usually set free for the rest of the year and recaptured to participate in the Dasara festivities.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Choosing the Desara Elephants
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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2 comments:
The last sentence is very interesting. I wonder if additional training is needed after the elephant has been living wild for a year. It reminds me of the working elephants in Sri Lanka who swim across the wide sea channel to the mainland to mate with wild elephants, then swim back to return to work in the morning (with smiles on their faces)
I don't know if they would need extensive re training, but I can assume a refresher course would be in order, as it would be for any animal left to it's own devices. As manners, around females and other males are paramount, I imagine after a time off "living in the wild" and flexing themselves and thumping their chest's like Tarzan, they would need to be reminded that that is unacceptable behavior, and to put it away for the time being.
Wade
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