"From Cutest to the Majestic - All in one place"
Written on : 24-September-2016
Visted During : Multiple Times
Some more Information
SakreBailu is not a destination you would want to travel all the way to Shimoga from far away place. But, if you are anyway near Shimoga, do give a visit. The Sakrebailu Elephant Camp is open only till 11.00 AM and elephants are taken to forest later. There is a facility of Elephant ride for ~INR 100 per head here and families with kids might enjoy the elephant ride within the camp. (A short distance ride within a big ground)
My Experience and Opinion
I usually cover an entire place in one post. But, this time I have dedicated an entire post for an Elephant camp alone. So, this section is going to be little lengthier than always. Dedicating this page for the emotional binding I have with the elephants in Sakrebailu.
For me, Elephant calf and its mother together look like epitome of love. I have seen a mother elephant teaching its calf to walk, stand, and learn eating everything in just a couple of hours I spent here. The first time I visited this place couple of years back, I was lucky to see an Elephant calf just 13 days old. He (the calf) was as innocent as one could be. The way he tried to imitate hiss mother picking up the grass in its trunk and pushing it to the mouth is something I probably would not forget even if I suffer from alzheimer's someday. It looked as if the calf was confident enough while picking up the straws and push into his mouth, but only to drop it half a way. But, for him he was successful in pushing it into mouth. So, all that was left according to him to fill his stomach was chewing. Why be lazy? He started chewing as if he had mouth full of grass just the way as his mother did. He was least bothered about his hunger. Why fear when your mother is near. She was there to feed him the moment he was hungry. And there, for me an hour in front of this mother and the calf went like a whisker.
The way he waddled, the way he fell down, the way his mother pulled him close when he tried to walk away were some moments which even the best photographer in the world would fail to capture. It was the emotion which I saw is hard to transfer into a two dimensional paper.
The next time I visited, there were 2 calves may be a year old each. The Mahouts did all that was possible to make them take bath. The calves were had a shiny dark color when they came out of water and I don’t know what was running through their mind. They were not happy with the bath, they wanted to be dirty and when an elephant calf decides to be dirty, one can just not stop it from being. It rolled in the mud like a champ and made sure not even a single part of it’s body was clean. I am still wondering what was going on in it’s mind at that moment!
The Camp
The camp is located 13 kilometers away from Shimoga and lies near Gajanur Dam in Theerthalli road. The elephants are brought to the camp from nearby forest every day for a bath and a walk. These elephants are trained elephants which are left free in forest post lunch. The elephants are available in the camp till 11.00AM only. The visitors can spends sometime closely with the elephants and the Mahouts help you in talking to the huge mammals. The elephants here have been brought from various parts of the state/country based on their need for attention. From the sick ones to Naughty ones, the range is high. But, all are cared and looked after with same love and after training, all elephants become the same here.
If I don’t mention the Mahouts, I might miss a big part of the story. Here, not only elephants but their care takers are also a center of attraction. The dedication of the Mahouts here is something which I never saw anywhere else. There was no manager to ask him clean the elephant properly while giving it a bath. But, each and every Mahout put his best effort in taking care of elephants. They loved their job, and it was visible! The Mahouts here carry it as their family occupation and generations and generations have been doing this job there.
One of the elephants in the group was 95 years old and it must have seen generations of Mahouts changing there. Its age was visible in its face as the cheeks had shrunken without teeth in mouth. The large ears swaying looked tired with some part of it torn too. The Majestic Elephant now looked tired and weak and I wanted to hug it and say – “You are the most respected animal in the world and amongst them, you are one of the senior most. #My respects to you!”
The New Tusker - The Majestic Elephant amongst all other Majestic elephants in the camp. The way it entered the camp late in the batch, the authority with which it went to pick up its food and the way the Mahouts got a female elephant before chaining it into the tree was a sight to watch. The New Tusker is largest of all Elephants in the group. Do not forget to pay some attention to this guy if you ever visit there.
I have been there 3-4 times and the next time you ask me, the count might be increased! So, that summarizes my love for this place.
Photos
13 days old Elephant Calf - The cutest thing
An elephant calf after its mud bath
The brothers!
The playful fights of calves
The black strip in head is oil applied to keep its head cool!
The new Tusker...!!!!
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