You don’t have any Active Subscription.

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one.

Your active subscription(s)

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Products you've access to

Additional Subscription Benefits

Need help with your subscription?

Updated - October 25, 2026 09:28 pm IST - Kozhikode

Image for representational purpose only

The Forest department has registered a case against the owner and mahout of an elephant, Cheriyaparambath Gopalan, for allegedly failing to provide the animal with adequate food and care.

The action followed an inspection by a team of forest officials and veterinary doctors at the owner’s residence in Ekarool near Unnikulam in Kozhikode district.

Blood samples collected from the elephant were sent to Pookode Veterinary College for analysis. The report indicated severe malnutrition and inadequate care.

During the inspection, officials found that the elephant was not being fed the prescribed diet recorded in its care register. The inadequate feeding had left the animal severely weakened, they said. Injuries and sores caused by chains rubbing against its legs were also found.

There were allegations that the elephant had been used for timber-hauling work despite its poor health.The elephant was placed under the care of social forestry officials and veterinary doctors, who are overseeing its feeding and treatmen.

The owner, meanwhile, said the elephant had been receiving treatment from a doctor in Thrissur because of its weakness. He claimed that it had last been taken to a temple procession during the previous Thrissur Pooram and had not been used for timber hauling or other strenuous work in recent months.

Published - October 25, 2026 05:24 pm IST

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.