The first practice session of familiarising the Dasara elephants to the sound of cannons firing went off smoothly here outside the palace on Monday.
Barring a few, most elephants remained stable to the sound at the firing practice conducted by the City Armed Reserve (CAR).
“Some three to four elephants, especially those who are new to the Dasara duty, showed some signs of distraction to the sound. Otherwise, others, including howdah elephant Abhimanyu and veterans, remained steady. The first session was successful,” said Deputy Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, V. Karikalan.
All 14 elephants were present at the session.
The cannon firing was held at the parking lot of the palace. The Forest Department had taken all necessary precautions to control the jumbos if they panicked and ran amok.
The cannons were fired in three rounds – seven each – making the 21-gun salute that is accorded on the day of Jamboo Savari as a mark of respect when the lead tusker carries the 750-kilo golden howdah with the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari.
Two more firing tests will be conducted on September 16 and 23. Horses that are going to be part of the Dasara procession were also present during the practice session.
Mr. Karikalan, who oversaw the proceedings, said: “Elephants moving hearing the sound is okay but they did not try to break-free or turn 360 degrees out of panic. They were steady barring a few of them to which the session is entirely. None showed any unusual behaviour”.
The DCF said only Srirama was tied to the tree with a chain and was released during the second and third rounds. Chains were also secured to both the legs of Sugriva and Parthasarathy as a precaution, but were removed during the second round.
No parking was allowed in view of the cannon firing from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The session lasted for 45 minutes from 12.15 p.m. to 1 p.m.
“We separated the elephants in three groups and accordingly they were made to stand. We may divide them in more groups in next sessions so that there is ample room around them for movement,” he said.
