Forty-three stressed-out elephants are frolicking and taking it easy at a spa. They are there to soothe their bodies and minds.
These elephants - hired out to Hindu temples to lend majesty to religious ceremonies - are at Mudmalai Wildlife Sanctuary in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. They have been sent there by the government to relax for six sybaritic weeks because of their gruelling jobs.
For the elephants, the relief must be immense. In their work in cities such as Chennai, the state capital, they have to contend with traffic, congestion and teeming crowds trying to touch them amid the ghastly explosions of firecrackers. At the sanctuary, the forest is green and tranquil and there is plenty of lovely food and special treats - big fat cakes of unrefined sugar known as jaggery - on offer.
Elephants are an important part of Hindu temple rituals, not just in Tamil Nadu but in the neighbouring state of Kerala especially, and in the whole of south India. They can have a working life of three to four decades. Of late, such has been their popularity that even mosques and churches have started hiring elephants for special functions.
Kerala has 900 elephants. Some have been stripped of their nobility and turned into beasts of burden by their owners, worked endlessly and hired out to temples.
The job is tough. During ceremonies, they stand in the scorching heat for hours on end. Apart from the physical exhaustion, there is the mental strain caused by unruly crowds. "Some of them end up as nervous wrecks from the noise and chaos," said Vivek Menon, the executive director of the Wildlife Trust of India.
But the lucky ones frolicking at Mudmalai have six weeks of pampering ahead. "On arrival, they were weighed and we'll keep weighing them regularly because we want them all, particularly the lean ones, to go back to work fattened up and glowing with health and vitality," said the park's deputy director, Ameer Haja.
They first undergo a medical check-up, crucial because hardly any vets in south India know how to treat an elephant. Also, they could treating a dozen dogs in the time it would take to treat a single pachyderm.
Once the team of doctors at the sanctuary has assessed an elephant's condition - the feet are a big concern as often they are sore and blistered - the spa regimen is prescribed:
Ÿ A bath in the river morning and evening by two mahouts (elephant keepers)
Ÿ Daily massages with gigantic pumice stones and coconut husks to keep their blood circulation healthy
Ÿ Ayurvedic tonics to tone their bodies
Ÿ 300-400kg or more every day of green fodder including palms, leaves, grass, sugar cane and sorghum
Ÿ Treats in the form of 50kg of cooked rice mixed with jaggery, coconut and turmeric, with multivitamins mixed in
Ÿ Regular walks to tone up limbs made stiff from being tied to a temple post
"They also get a chance to socialise with other elephants, which they never do otherwise. So far, they are having a ball," said Haja.
These jumbos are the lucky ones. Old elephants are often neglected by their owners, underfed with ailments left untreated because of the cost. One elephant will eat about 400kg a day and the cost of the food, combined with the salaries of three mahouts and medical care, can add up to Dh2,300 a month in a country where the average monthly salary is about Dh250.
"There is a saying that if you want to harm your enemy, give him an elephant because it will bankrupt him," said Chenoy Balakrishnan, an elephant owner in Kochi, Kerala, who regards his animals, Chandrashekhar, 55, and Srinivasan, 42, as members of his family.
As an elephant adviser to the temples in Kochi, Balakrishnan advises them to ensure that their animals work only an eight-hour day with breaks in between and to avoid the searing midday sun. Some respect these guidelines; others do not.
Yet some help is at hand. India's first old-age home for elephants opened a few years ago in a tranquil forest at Kottur, Kerala, where retired elephants can spend their twilight years in dignity. Last year, Kerala's minister for forests, KB Ganesh Kumar, promised to set up a hospital exclusively for elephants.
Balakrishnan is happy that the Tamil Nadu elephants are being pampered but says his "boys" do not need a spa because they are well looked after and never overworked.
Balakrishnan has seen old traditions die out. In the old days, he says, even a mahout, out of respect for the nobility of his animal, would approach it only after formally asking its permission.
"These days, that reverence is missing. They are majestic creatures but crowds are not even aware that they are insulting him when they touch his tusk. It's like pushing the turban off a man's head," he said.
artslife@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter and keep up to date with the latest in arts and lifestyle news at twitter.com/LifeNationalUAE
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Racecard
6.35pm: American Business Council – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.10pm: British Business Group – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,200m
7.45pm: CCI France UAE – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
8.20pm: Czech Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,400m
8.55pm: Netherlands Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.30pm: Indian Business and Professional Council – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
MATCH INFO
New Zealand 176-8 (20 ovs)
England 155 (19.5 ovs)
New Zealand win by 21 runs
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Vault%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBilal%20Abou-Diab%20and%20Sami%20Abdul%20Hadi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELicensed%20by%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Global%20Market%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EInvestment%20and%20wealth%20advisory%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOutliers%20VC%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E14%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
