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Elephants…and man. Both masters of their
respective worlds. So what happens when 2 worlds
collide?? Most of the time, the two get along
well enough, respecting each other’s space and
keeping out of trouble. But there are times when
they crash in horrific episodes and most often,
someone gets hurt.
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An elephant turns violent in a lumber yard
near Cherppu.
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Elephant Shankarankulankara Ayyappan,
who killed his first mahout at Mangara and
then ran for 3 kms, to Kumaranelloor.
After being shot with tranquilizers, the
enraged elephant broke down a fence and
uprooted a coconut tree in the compound of
a house.
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An elephant who trampled his mahout to death
is subdued. The other mahouts and the
townspeople try to drag the subdued elephant
away from the crowds. |
However, not all encounters are this
destructive, Elephants and man constructively
work together on many occasions.
Thapannas hoist a captured wild
elephant (the little one) out of a pit in
the Malayatoor forest division. Thapannas
are elephants that are specifically
trained to hoist captured elephants out of
pits.
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The elephant Manikandan attempts to lift
Keshavan who collapsed in the tank in front
of the Shankarakulankaran temple, in
Thrissur. The attempt was unsuccessful and a
crane had to be used to lift the elephant
later that night. |
And then there are the times of quiet
companionship...
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In the heat of summer, an elephant and his
mahout search for shade. While a bare tree
provides a semblance of shade for the
elephant, the mahout seeks shelter under his
umbrella. A scene from Thekkinkadu where the
elephants assemble for the Thrissur Pooram. |
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Back To
the Elephant Book |
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