PALAKKAD: Captive elephant Mangalamkunnu Kesavan died here on Thursday morning. Kesavan, 68, had been under treatment for foot disease for a long time. In recent days, there were issues related to its stomach also.
Mangalamkunnu Haridas, the owner of the elephant, told TNIE that Kesavan had been with them for the past three decades. He said that the carcass was burnt in the Walayar forests by evening.
Meanwhile, Haridas Machingal, president of the Palakkad district Elephant Lovers’ Collective, in a letter to the chief wildlife warden demanded that the forest department should initiate steps to protect the lives of existing captive elephants as their number is dwindling with each passing day. He said that a social audit should be conducted on the health of the captive elephants in the state.