Who doesn’t like vacation, and that too one in which you are pampered? This holds true for both human beings and animals. This is what is happening in a reserve in Madhya Pradesh.

In Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR), 14 elephants are getting a break from their mundane and routine life. Usually these animals are put to work as they are deployed for patrolling, tracking of tigers and other jobs and errands in the reserve but now it is different.

At present, these pachyderms are on a week-long vacation during which they are thoroughly pampered. Besides being groomed they are served their favourite food according to an official of the reserve.

This rejuvenation camp for the creatures is held for seven days and this camp is called “Gaj Mahotsav”. It started at Tala in BTR in Umaria on September 4 (Saturday). It is held to allow some breathing space for elephants from their daily life which is hard, according to Shraddha Pendre, who briefed the media about this on Sunday.

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The camp which will last till September 10 will see these animals being washed well, then groomed and also decorated with sandalwood powder. That is not all, as Pendre disclosed they will be fed their favourite food.

Sharing details Ram Dulare, a BTR mahout revealed that the elephants are massaged with oil and decorated after giving them a bath. They are fed bananas, apples and sugarcane. Each of the animals gets to eat 10 to 15 coconuts, four to five kilograms of apples, five dozen bananas and two kg of jaggery every day, he said.

There is more to the camp than just providing time out. It is to disseminate a wider message that these animals are equally important in our ecosystem and like all beings need time to enjoy, relax, recuperate and rejuvenate.

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Though tourists can catch a glimpse of these animals enjoying this “me time” between 11 a.m. to 12 noon, public participation has been limited for the second year in succession due to ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.