Shower bath, mud bath, swimming pools provided for elephants to cope with summer at Elephant Rehabilitation Centre near Trichy

Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 2 : The Elephant Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre at M.R. Palayam in Tiruchirappalli is making arrangements for the elephants to cope with the increasing temperatures in summer.
The forest officials are making shower baths, mud baths and even swimming pools for the elephants to lower their body temperatures.
They are also given water-content fruits like watermelon and others. The Rescue Centre which is a home for rescued and translocated elephants from different places in the state is hosting 11 elephants now.

Speaking with ANI, the District Forest Officer of Tiruchirappalli, Krithiga said, "We have been running an Elephant Rescue and Rehabilitation camp in M.R. Palayam reserve forest. We have 11 elephants here now. These elephants have been brought from private owners who did not have licenses or those who were not maintaining the elephants well."
"The camp has been running here since 2019. We have all the facilities that are needed for the elephants. We feed them on an everyday basis with a mix of grains, vegetables, fruits and other diet as prescribed by the veterinarian. We have a visiting veterinarian who comes in almost every week," he added.

Further talking about the arrangements that have been made keeping elephant's comfort in mind to tackle summer heat Krithiga said, "For tackling summer heat, we have recently installed a mini shower where the elephants are bathed. There is a swimming pool bathing routine in the morning and mini shower facilities in the evening. Every day morning, we take the elephants to the swimming pool where they are bathed and then sent for a mud bath. After that, they are brought to the camp and fed."
"In the evenings, they are taken to the mini shower where they are allowed to bathe for around 20 mins under the sprinklers. Apart from this, they are taken for morning and evening walking for around 1-2km every day," he added.

Further detailing the rehabilitation centre Forest veterinary doctor, Dr. Kalaivannan said, "We have 11 elephants in this Rescue and Rehabilitation centre. Mostly these elephants are brought from various sources when they are diseased or old aged. We are in peak summer now and most of the vegetation is dried up. Elephants can manage cold better than hot conditions. We are helping the elephants to cool down their body in various ways. We make the elephants bathe three times a day i.e. morning, afternoon and evening. We have increased the time for drinking water i.e. at least 4 times in a day."
"We are also giving elephants shower baths and mud baths. We are also taking the elephants into the swimming pools. We are giving them more succulent green fodder during the hot hours of the day. We are also giving them water-content fruits like watermelon and others. As elephants are darker in colour, they attract more heat. It can only cool down its body temperature by flapping its ear. That's why we are making more arrangements like mud baths, shower baths and others," he added.