THOOTHUKUDI: The Tiruchendur Murugan temple elephant Deivanai, which had trampled its mahout and his relative to death on Monday, has returned to its normal state of behaviour, and is being observed round-the-clock by the forest and animal husbandry officials. The 26-year-old jumbo, whose behaviour and feeding are being continuously monitored, has been confined to its shelter.
The mahout, Udhayakumar of Tiruchendur, and his relative Sisubalan (55) Kanniyakumari were attacked on the temple premises, allegedly after the latter patted Deivanai's trunk after taking pictures of the elephant. Ever since the attack, the forest and animal husbandry department took control of the elephant and restrained many of its activities, including morning walks and bathing in the pond, sources said.
At present, S Senthil, elder brother of the deceased Udhayakumar, is Deivanai's caretaker. It may be noted that the Tiruchendur temple administration had deployed S Senthil, Udhayakumar and one Radhakrishnan as the jumbo's caretakers. Siblings Senthil and Udhayakumar had been taking care of Deivanai since it was donated to the temple in 2006.
Speaking to TNIE, Senthil said that Deivanai's behaviour has returned to normalcy and it has been responding well, without getting angry. "Deivanai has begun consuming food like coconut leaves and grasses as usual. However, it is not eating mixed rice after two balls," said Senthil, adding that Udhayakumar was in charge of giving mixed rice food to Deivanai everyday, and it used to take at least 10 to 12 balls when fed by him.
Dr Sivakumar, veterinarian of the animal husbandary department, said that the animal has become normal and is obeying the commands of the mahout. However, the animal has to be monitored for another 10 days. A team of doctors and foresters are equipped with tranquilisers for safety, even though such a situation would not arise, as of now, he said.
Further, the three veterinary doctors, who were deployed to supervise its behaviour and health for 24 hours, were withdrawn on Friday. They will periodically inspect the jumbo from Saturday, Sivakumar added.