Kerala is slowly falling into the grip of monsoon bringing respite to all, both humans and animals, which have been reeling under the searing heat of summer and related health issues. The rains put an end to a series of such miseries.
While humans follow a dietary plan in accordance with the change in climate, animals, especially the wild ones in captivity and also those in sanctuaries, face a huge challenge in adapting to the change of seasons.
It's this realisation that led the Forest Department to devise a summer food plan for elephants in the state, which included watermelon, fruits and cucumber.
The fodder for pachyderms includes water-rich vegetables like cucumber, watermelon, and fruits to keep them hydrated during summer. The initiative took off at Ecotourism Centre in Konni in the presence of Range Officer T Ajithkumar, Forester Anil Kumar and forest and other department personnel. The diet regimen is implemented once every four days.
Kottur Elephant Sanctuary and Rehabilitation Centre in Thiruvananthapuram is the world's largest elephant rehabilitation centre. Other major elephant care centres include Kodanad Abhayaranyam animal-shelter, Elephant Training Centre, Konni, Punnathur Kotta in Thrissur and so on.