Tusker Thiruvambady Sivasundar passes away

THRISSUR: Thiruvambady Sivasundar, one of the most popular captive elephants in Kerala, died on Sunday morning.
The 48-year-old tusker was undergoing treatment for impaction for the past 67 days. According to veterinarian Dr P B Giridas, the elephant had developed diarrhoea on Saturday.

Sivasundar had been holding the thidambu (replica of idol) for the Thiruvambady side in the famed Thrissur Pooram for the past 15 years. With a height of 306 cms, Sivasundar was one of the tallest and majestic captive elephants in the state, and a highly-sought-after tusker for temple festivals across the state.

The elephant was offered to Thiruvambady temple by NRI entrepreneur T A Sundar Menon more than 15 years ago.

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Elephant tramples 26-yr-old woman to death in Erode

Erode: A 26-year-old woman was trampled to death by an elephant in the forests of Sathyamangalam here on Tuesday night.

The victim was identified as Rajamani, of Kothanapuram near Kermalam. She, along with her husband Shivanna, 30, and daughters Abhi, 8, and Sindhu, 6, was heading to their village through the forest when the elephant attacked her.


“Rajamani and her family were returning from their relative’s house at Kollegal after attending a temple festival. Since they missed the last bus to their village, they started walking through a jungle path. When they reached Pailur Kalayankovil, an elephant started chasing them. Shivanna lifted both their daughters and started running. Rajamani followed him. However, the elephant trampled her,” the police said.

Shivanna went to the village and informed the villagers, who alerted the forest authorities. Soon, forest staff, along with the villagers, rushed to the spot and found Rajamani battling for life. She was rushed to the hospital, but died on the way.

Two days ago, an elephant had attacked a 54-year-old forester in the same locality at Kermalam. The elephant tossed over Rasaiah, 54, but didn’t attack him further. Rasaiha is undergoing treatment at Sathyamangalam government hospital.

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Teary-eyed, thousands of Kerala elephant fans bid adieu to Thiruvambady Sivasundar

It was a funeral like no other. Thousands of teary-eyed elephant fans flocked to the cultural capital on Sunday to pay tributes to Gajarajan Thiruvambady Sivasundar, who died earlier in the day after a prolonged illness.

Industries Minister A C Moideen, Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar and eminent personalities turned up along with nine jumbos to bid adieu to the gentle giant, who shored up temple festivals with his majestic presence.The 46-year-old tusker had been suffering from erandakettu (impaction of the colon) for the past 67 days and the end came at around 3 am. Forest Department officials confirmed that the jumbo, owned by businessman T A Sunder Menon, had died of the ailment. However, they maintained that the exact cause of the death could be confirmed only after studying the post-mortem report.

Brought from the Kodanad elephant camp, Sivasundar was offered to the deity of Thiruvambady in 2003 by Sunder Menon. Since then, he had been an integral part of the elephant procession at the renowned Thrissur Pooram.

The jumbo shot into fame when he lifted the ‘kolam’ of the deity of Thiruvambady at the Pooram.
Sivasundar had also participated in various temples festivals such as Arattupuzha Pooram and Uthralikavu Pooram in Thrissur, Nenmara-Vallangi Vela in Palakkad, and the Irinjalakuda Koodalmanikyam temple festival.

The elephant was bestowed with titles such as Kalaba Kesari Pattam and Mathanga Kesari Pattam. He was also the focus of a documentary titled Azhakinte Thampuran.
Sivasundar’s untimely death raises many questions about the maintenance of captive elephants in the state. According to experts, at least 70 elephant deaths reported recently were due to Ernadakettu.


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Vet council asks forest officials to submit proof against doctor

KOCHI: The Kerala state veterinary council disciplinary committee has asked the forest department officials to submit evidence against veterinarian Dr Abraham Tharakan, who had allegedly issued fitness certificates to seriously-injured elephants without properly examining them before they are paraded in temple festivals, on April 6 at district veterinary office, Ernakulam.
The council was considering a complaint filed by forest officials that the veterinarian was repeatedly issuing fitness certificates to elephants without examining them. The latest trigger is the parading of an elephant, Kuttisankaran, with very open and clear wounds on his legs. “We went to the spot when we were informed by members of Society for Prevention of Cruelty against Animals (SPCA) that an elephant with open wound was being paraded at the Pattupurakkal Bhagavathy temple, Kakkanad. Though they promised to move the tusker out, they brought him back again,” said Anaz, assistant conservator of forests, social forestry, Ernakulam.

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