Jaldapara National Park hosts training camp for elephant handlers

Alipurduar: A 5-day training camp for mahouts and patawalas (caretakers of elephants) commenced on Sunday at Holong Central Peel Khana of Jaldapara National Park. Over the course of five days, four mahouts and 20 patawalas from the Jaldapara Forest Division will receive training from elephant expert Padmashri Parvati Barua.

On the first day of the training camp, North Bengal Chief Forester Bhaskar J V, Jaldapara Forest Division DFO Parveen Kaswan and other forest officers were present.

Parvati Barua will conduct training sessions for the next four days, with assistance from Uppal Sharma, veterinarian officer of Jaldapara.

According to Forest department sources, seven mahouts have been killed and five seriously injured in Kumki (captive) elephant attacks in Jaldapara over the last five years. This unfortunate experience led forest officials to recognise the need for proper training as the mahouts and patawalas seemed somewhat disconnected from the domesticated elephants due to a lack of training.

Parvati Barua emphasised the importance of understanding the elephants’ moods as the first task. She stated: “Understanding the mood of the elephants is crucial to avoiding danger. It is essential to treat them like family members or relatives. Additionally, if an elephant is behaving unusually, one must learn to recognise signs of illness through their eyes.”

Parveen Kaswan, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Jaldapara Forest Division, highlighted the significance of the training camp for the safety of mahouts and patawalas. He expressed optimism regarding the expertise of Parvati Barua and the potential benefits for the participants. He added: “This training camp aims to directly benefit 24 elephant handlers. We plan to organise similar training programmes throughout the year to ensure all mahouts and patawalas acquire knowledge of elephant management.”