Corbett’s aged elephants to lead retired lives
DEHRADUN: For decades, Pawanpari and Sonakali, two female elephants at the Corbett Tiger Reserve, served thousands of tourists and forest staff.
It is now time for the jumbos to bid their routine goodbye and enjoy the perks of retirement — they will be free to bask in the sunshine, graze in the open grounds and bathe in the Sonanadi that flows inside the reserve.
For the first time since the reserve was established six decades ago in Uttarakhand, Corbett has decided to retire elephants once they reach the age of 65. An elephant can usually live up to 80 years.
The decision was taken as per the directions of the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change.
“The retired elephants will remain inside the reserve. No work will be taken from them and a doctor will examine them from time to time” said Surendra Mehra, director of Corbett.
The retirement of Pawanpari and Sonakali is scheduled soon and the reserve authorities intend to make it a memorable event. The pachyderms will be served jaggery, chickpeas and special chapati at their ‘retirement party’.
Corbett is one of the major attractions among tourists and wildlife enthusiasts.
About 2.5 lakh visitors come to the reserve, which has rich biodiversity and more than 200 striped Bengal tigers. The tourists prefer open safari vehicles and elephants to roam inside the reserve, which covers an area of 1,300 square kilometers, including the core and buffer area across three districts of Uttarakhand.
Corbett has 16 elephants serving inside the reserve. Of these, six are exclusively for the tourists at the Dikhala core range.