Gentle Giants of Western Ghats

By Ammini Ramachandran

Legend has it that a true Malayali can tell one elephant apart from another, just by looking at it. Although this is an exaggeration, the elephant in all its majesty continues to hold sway in the malayali way of life. Intelligent, gentle and graceful by nature, elephant is our animal of splendor and gaiety, and is an integral part of life in Kerala. They are featured in art, literature, dance, music and above all in our festivals. While traveling through Kerala one would most likely encounter a local temple elephant in the middle of the road, carrying its fodder of coconut palm leaves in its trunk. On national highways cars and buses break for the giant to pass by. These well tamed giants are the center of attraction at Kerala’s festivals. They also have a natural ability to toil in the timber yards, carrying large teak logs through the trails of mountainous forests. Although some domesticated elephants work the hardwood forests, most tamed elephants in Kerala are showcased in our festivals.

Elephants in their natural habitat
Elephants are amazing animals to see in their own environment. The tropical forests of India, Sri Lanka, and South and Southeast Asia are the natural habitats of Asian elephants. In south India wild elephants are found in the forests of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamilnadu. They are distinguished from the African ones by their smaller size, smaller ears, and more rounded back. Periyaar National Park, nestled within the Western Ghats mountain ranges in Kerala, is one of the most captivating wildlife parks and an absolute paradise of wild elephants. The park is covered with dense evergreen forests interspersed with grass lands. The picturesque Periyaar Lake in the heart of this wild life sanctuary is a favorite haunt of playful wild elephants and an ideal place to observe elephants in their natural surroundings. The best time for elephant sightings is the warmer months of summer when the animals are more concentrated around lakes and rivers. Herds of them come here to bathe, swim and frolic in the water. A large elephant herd may contain forty elephants, which include both females and male tuskers and quite a few young calves. Wild elephants live in a matriarchal society. Led by a group of females, elephant calves and young adults all move together from place to place in the forests in search of food. The tuskers often lag behind, unless they fear some approaching danger. The life expectancy of the Asian Elephant is 70 to 80 years. ....more>