Jumbo retreat: 26 elephants arrive at Thekkampatty camp

Elephants, ‘Abayambigai’ from Mayuranathar Temple in Mayiladuthurai and Abirami from Amritaghateswarar Abirami Temple in Thirukkadaiyur were among the first to arrive at the campsite. A few more elephants were likely to arrive later.

Despite undertaking a tiring journey, the elephants de-boarded the lorries without causing any trouble, as an excited crowd watched the jumbos arrive from across TN.

On an interesting note, some elephants showed signs of remembrance as they met exactly a year after and bonded well with other jumbos at the camp. At the site, the elephants were weighed and they underwent health check-up too.

The elephants were provided with a walking track, bathing shower and medical care facilities at the camp. Beside watch towers, security cameras were placed at 14 spots to keep a close vigil.

A large contingent of Forest department staff was deployed to prevent wild elephants from straying into the campsite. The jumbo camp will be inaugurated by a host of ministers on Friday.

A pet project of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the rejuvenation camp started way back in 2003 to provide adequate rest to jumbos along with nutritious food and medical treatment.