Elephant Nandini.
Credit: Special Arrangement
Sixty-year-old Nandini, one of the eldest elephants at the elephant camp 'Anakotta' in Kerala's Guruvayur, has been sleeping well over the past couple of days, all thanks to the new rubber bed.
Nandini, as well as some other elephants, have been suffering from foot disease for quite some time due to constant contact with the damp surface and was not ale to sleep properly. As a solution to this, a rubber bed was provided on Thursday.
"Over the last two days, the elephant has been sleeping comfortably on it and is not showing any discomfort," said Mayadevi K S, Deputy Administrator of the elephant camp.
It could be the first time that an elephant is being provided with a rubber bed anywhere in India or outside, she said.
"The rubber bed was provided after exploring various options. Ensuring a comfortable and hygienic floor for the elephant was the key aspect...The rubber beds are fixed to the sloped concrete floor in such a manner that the elephant won't be able to pull out or damage it. The slope surface was also helping to avoid the constant dampness of the floor caused by urine and dung," she added.
At present, there are 40 elephants at the camp which is situated close to the famed Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple in Thrissur district. The authorities are planning to set up rubber beds for a few more elephants.
The cost for setting the bed came to around Rs 8 lakh which was provided as an offering by a Coimbatore-based devotee Manickam. Formal commissioning of the bed was done by the Devaswom Chairperson V K Vijayan.