The elephant population is declining and if steps are not taken by the government and forest department, in another 50 years, future generations won’t see elephants, said retired forest official KM Chinnappa, who has dealt with them for nearly 25 years.
At a programme organized in memory of Dodda Masthi, mahout of howdah elephant Arjuna for nearly 16 years, Chinnappa said, “Usually when we pass through the Nagarahole forest, we used to come across elephant dung on the roads but now we don’t see it. It means the number of elephants is diminishing. Usually, female elephants used to be seen in groups but now single female elephants roam the forest. A pregnant elephant without a companion is vulnerable. In the past ten years in Karnataka state alone, 201 elephants have died. With elephants around, the forest cover will be good and therefore we should chalk out proper programme to increase the number of elephants. There should be a 5000sqkm Nilgiri Biosphere exclusively for elephants without human interference.”
Dodda Masthi was a model for the tribal community. Though initially a drunkard, later he stopped consuming alcohol and focused on his job and was recognized by forest department officials and given more responsibility. Before taking charge of Arjuna, Dodda Masthi had trained several others. His son Kariya said, “Arjuna was not easy to handle but my father took the risk and managed to control him. After successful Dasara celebrations, he and Arjuna would visit the temples in Balle. He was well respected in the tribal hamlet. He’d spend most of the time with elephants. He’d give most of his salary to his wife Basamma. His last desire was to make my son Papannaa kavadi (mahout’s assistant). He had spoken to forest officials about it who assured them they’d do the needful.”
D Rajkumar, wildlife activist who spoke on the occasion, called upon tribals to stop consuming alcohol. “The only problem with tribals is that they consume a lot of alcohol. If they stop this, they will be a great asset. They should take a leaf out of Dodda Masti and stop drinking alcohol. Training elephants is not an easy task; there’s risk involved for mahouts and kavadis. They carry their children wherever they go; the children initially start bathing elephants and then get gradually trained.”
Mahouts plays a major role in the success of Dasara. If elephants behave well, it’s only due to the mahouts. The tribal population, especially the Jenu Kurubas, is decreasing. According to a 1991 census, their population was just 43,000.