Ahead of Vijayadashami, Arjuna has put on 400kg, but he’s not complaining

For Arjuna, the elephant which carries the howdah during Dasara festivities in Mysuru, this whopping 400 kg seems to be ideal.
Arjuna, the howdah elephant, being weighed in Mysuru on Thursday | Udayshankar s
Arjuna, the howdah elephant, being weighed in Mysuru on Thursday | Udayshankar s

MYSURU: They are putting on weight and they don’t seem to care. Here are the eye-popping figures. Arjuna’s weight is up by 400 kg in the last one year while Varalakshmi has put on 290kg. They needn’t go in for slimming exercises as everyone is happy about this weight gain. Plenty of rain and rich food is what seemed to have given them a healthy glow.

For Arjuna, the elephant which carries the howdah during Dasara festivities in Mysuru, this whopping 400 kg seems to be ideal. Not just him, the other Dasara elephant Varalakshmi, which was brought to Mysuru too, is in a happy state.

The first batch of Dasara elephants camping at the palace were weighed on Thursday. Arjuna who weighed 5,650 kg was the heaviest of the lot. Last year he weighed 5,250 kg. Varalakshmi weighed 3,120 kg as against 2,830 kg last year. She has gained 290 kg in a year.  Other elephants in the batch -- Vikram (3,985 kg), Dhananjaya (4,045 kg), Gopi (4,435 kg) and Chitra (2,920 kg) -- were weighed for the first time.

This doesn’t meant that the elephants can throw their weight around. During their stay in the city, they are put on a special diet and are fed pulses, jaggery, sugarcane, coconuts, dry fruits and ragi balls, apart from green fodder to keep them fit for the world-famous jamboo savari. They have to walk at least 5 km daily. The elephants are also weighed a day before the Vijayadashami procession.

Jumbo weight gain healthy: Vet

Veterinarian Nagraj said the weight gain is healthy. “The pre-monsoon showers across Nagarahole and Bandipur forest areas and the availability of fodder -- greens and bamboo shoots -- have contributed to the healthy weight gain of these jumbos,” he said

He said the authorities want the second batch of elephants to arrive at the earliest so that they can conduct rehearsals. “Elephants should be given adequate time to familiarise themselves with humans and vehicular movements,” he said.

Wildlife activist Mallesh said copious rains addressed the fodder scarcity and drinking water problems in BR Hills and MM Hills. “Availability of fodder has reduced the man-animal conflict in these regions.
However, a dry spell of more than two months and drying up of streams may lead to problems again,” he said. As of now, the elephants are not complaining.

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