Wildlife enthusiasts and forest officials lauded the hard work rendered by mahouts and kavadigas in taming wild elephants and taking care of them at Sakrebail elephant camp near Shivamogga in Karnataka.
“The caretakers of elephants have a tough job on their hands,” said Jesudas, one of the founders of Wild Tuskers Sakrebail, a non-government organisation that organized an event on October 19 to thank the caretakers ahead of Dasara celebrations.
Around 40 mahouts and kavadigas take care of 20 elephants in the camp. Each animal is normally handled by two persons. The animals are left in the wild at night. Mahouts and kavadigas go in search of their animals in the forest early in the morning, and bring them to the camp by 8.30 a.m., which is when the camp is open for tourists.
