Bandhavgarh Reserve Gives Captive Elephants Royal Treatment

A royal‑style picnic for the captive elephants of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve began on Thursday, offering a five‑day period of leisure for the herd. The initiative, organized by the forest department, provides the animals with a full respite from their routine patrol duties. Daily care includes a complete wash, a soothing arandi‑oil massage, and a ceremonial sandalwood homage. The menu is enriched with sugarcane, jaggery, apples and coconut, pleasing both senior and younger elephants. Notable individuals such as Gautam (born 1946) and Anarkali (born 1964), along with Bandhvi, Krishnagaj, Poonam and Barkha, are part of the celebration. The picnic is set in the Dharmokhri buffer forest area. No operational tasks are assigned, and veterinary teams conduct periodic health checks, which involve urine and blood analysis. Forest officer Mahavath Narayan Sonar noted that after bathing, the elephants’ feet receive neem‑oil treatment, followed by grooming and the serving of favorite foods.