MADURAI: A week after a 13-year-old female elephant of the Subramaniya Swami Temple in Tiruparankundram trampled her assistant mahout to death, she was shifted to the Elephant Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre at Marama Reddy (MR) Palayam in Tiruchy on Monday.
The elephant Deivanai had trampled to death her assistant mahout S Kalidass (38) alias Kali from Thideer Nagar on May 24.
The District Forest Officer S Anand told The New Indian Express that the decision was taken considering the safety of devotees who visit the temple and also to identify the cause of the animal's abnormal behaviour.
"The latest attack of the animal turned out to be fatal while two previous attacks had resulted in the injured mahouts being handicapped," he said.
Anand said no decision had been taken so far on whether the elephant would be brought back to the temple. "The primary reason for shifting the animal is to study her in detail. The animal will have elephant companions in the centre and a dedicated team of officials will study all the factors including its likes and dislikes," he said.
"Veterinarians have said its abnormal behaviour may be due to the pre/post menstrual cycle", he said, adding that sending Deivanai to the centre was in the jumbo's own interest.