2024-01-27 - Guruvayur, India.
Elephant Kannan, of the Guruvayur Devaswom Elephant Camp, a nine-time winner of the festival-related elephant race, has passed away. His demise was around 5:30 pm on Saturday. The tusker's age at the time of death is 62 years as per Devaswom records. In August 1985, Kannan was offered to the temple by Balram, a native of Thrissur. With the death of Kannan, the number of elephants in Guruvayur is now 39.
2015-04-09 - Guruvayur, India. Mary-Rose Abraham
The unique sanctuary in the state of Kerala, India, is called Anakotta (“Elephant Fortâ€) and houses 58 elephants. They make their home on the grounds of a former royal palace and belong, quite literally, to God. The sanctuary is managed by the Guruvayur Temple, one of the most prominent Hindu shrines in India. And each elephant is a devotional offering to its presiding deity, Lord Krishna.
2013-12-20 - Guruvayur, India.
Concerned over the cases of two captive elephants that were infected by foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), elephant owners in the State are coming together to protect the national animal from the epidemic. As a precautionary measure to prevent infection among its herd, the Guruvayur Devaswom had recently banned visitors from its Punnathurkotta elephant camp. The 60 elephants of the devaswom are housed at the camp, which is visited by hundreds every day.
2010-02-25 - Guruvayur, India.
A 72-year-old elephant of the Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple here died at the jumbo park in the temple town today. Ramachandran had been keeping indifferent health for the last few years, a temple official said. A favourite of elephant lovers, Ramachandran was donated to the temple by the royal house of Zamorins of Malabar in 1942. He was retired from temple duties 10 years ago, in-charge of the elephant park Kunnathur Kotta said.
2009-09-12 - Guruvayur, India.
The efforts of Guruvayur Devaswom Managing Committee in implementing Scientific Elephant Management practices at Punnathur Aanakotta is an exemplary initiative, said Devaswom Minister Kadannappally Ramachandran here on Friday. The minister was inaugurating the newly- built Anakottil and launching the training curriculum and functional literacy programme for mahouts at the Punnathur Aanakkotta. The managing committee has done a laudable work in taking care of devaswom-owned jumbos, he added.
2008-05-15 - Guruvayur, United States.
The Guruvayur Devaswom is all set to launch the first mahout training school in the state. The Devaswom will conduct a two-year certificate course at Punnathur Anakotta to mould professional mahouts. The traditional elephant physician Avanaparambu Maheswaran Namboothiripad, retired veterinary experts KC Panicker, KN Muraleedharan and other expert vets from the wildlife and forest departments will be the guest faculties. Devaswom Minister G Sudhakaran will inaugurate the Devaswom School of Mahout...
2008-03-23 - Guruvayur, India.
The Elephant Owners Federation state committee meet here on Saturday has urged Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan to intervene on issues related to the management of trained domestic elephants in the State. The High Court directions on the management of elephants are being misinterpreted by a certain group of people who have vested interests in toppling the Thrissur pooram and other festivals and are causing trouble to the elephant owners, he alleged. The majority of ezhunnellippu of Thrissur poor...
2007-11-20 - Guruvayur, India.
The elephants of the Sri Krishna temple here were taken in a solemn procession to pay tribute to their "legendary peer" Guruvayur Kesavan on his 31st death anniversary on Tuesday. The pachyderms, sans their glittering caparisons, stood before the statue of Kesavan in the temple premises for a while, raised their trunks and the team leader 'paid floral tributes' to the tusker.
2007-08-16 - Guruvayur, India.
Tusker Keerthi owned by the Guruvayur Devaswom turned violent and killed its first mahout Gopalakrishnan, 45, of Changanassery at Chettuva near on Wednesday. The tusker had been taken to the Anayoottu ritual at the Ganesamangalam temple near Chettuva along with four other jumbos of the devaswom. Keerthi first attacked its second mahout Sadasivan of Ponnani on the way to Punnathur Anakotta. Sadasivan has been admitted to the West Fort Hospital, Thrissur. After the attack the tusker had turned cal...
2007-07-02 - Guruvayur, India.
The month-long annual rejuvenation therapy for jumbos owned by Guruvayur Devaswom began at Punnathur Anakotta here on Sunday. Devaswom chairman Thottathil Raveendran formally inaugurated the rejuvenation therapy by giving the special diet food to Seshadri, the new member of the elephant family of the temple. Eldest elephant Gajaratnam Guruvayur Padmanabhan, Gaja Samrat Guruvayur Valiya Kesavan and other seven elephants are not included in the annual therapy owing to their masth period. They will...
2007-03-02 - Guruvayur, India.
Crowds in hundreds cheered over two dozen elephants that took part in the hugely popular elephant race in Guruvayur town in Kerala. Nearly 30 elephants took part in the annual kilometer-long race running through the thoroughfares of the tiny town and up to the revered temple. To participate in the coveted race, lots are drawn, and only a lucky few elephants get to participate.
2006-10-06 - Guruvayur, India. S. Chandrasekhar
Thirupathi, Sabarimala and Guruvayur are the three major temples in South India visited by crores of devotees, all through the year. If there is some attractive magnetic force which differentiates Guruvayur from other temples, it is the temple owned elephant home, popularly known as Aanathavalam or Punnathur Kota. As per records of Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, it is the only temple-owned domesticated elephant home in the whole world.
2006-07-11 - Guruvayur, India.
All the 62 elephants of the famed Sri Krishna temple here will now enjoy a month-long rest from today with the annual restorative treatment for the pachyderms getting underway. "Guruvayur Devaswom is perhaps the only place where such a restorative treatment is given to such a large number of elephants. Over the years, the treatement, sukha chikitsa in Malayalam, has proved to be good not just for their physical vigour but also for mental health," temple authorities said.
2005-10-05 - Guruvayur, India.
A colourful parade of elephants and a special feast were held here on the occasion of World Elephants' Day on Tuesday, while animal rights groups appealed to owners and mahouts to care for the animals. About 40 pachyderms led by Gajaratnam Padmnabhan marched from the 'Manjulaal' at the eastern corridor of the Sri Krishna temple to the statue of legendary tusker Guruvayur Kesavan to pay floral tributes.
2005-07-12 - Guruvayur, India.
A tusker's beauty is in its tusks but if it is lost, this “elephant dentist” has the answer. Sankaranarayanan, a mahout in the famous Sree Krishna temple, Guruvayoor in Thrissur district, has found a new way of adding beauty to a tusker by fixing artificial tusks. Balakrishnan, Lakshmanan, Rajasekharan and Chandrasekharan, and Umadevi, all jumbos of the Guruvayoor Devaswom, now have “duplicate tusks” affixed by Sankaranarayanan.
2005-02-23 - Guruvayur, India.
A pranky 18-year-old tusker breezed past four dozens of heavyweight competitors earlier this week to clinch Kerala's most popular annual pachyderm race in the temple town of Guruvayur. Krishna was cheered on by thousands of frenzied devotees and tourists, many of whom were simply mesmerised by the agility and frolic of the elephants who seemed to enjoy the race as much as them. The race marked the beginning of a 10-day festival in the temple dedicated to Lord Kris...
2005-02-21 - Guruvayur, India.
Krishna, the 18-year-old tusker offered to Sri Guruvayurappan by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, won the elephant race marking the start of the 10-day annual festival of the Sri Krishna Temple here. Krishna raced past six other competitors covering a distance of over one km as a big crowd of devotees and fans cheered and applauded the pachyderms vying for honour along the eastern road of the temple town. Starting from Manjulal, the elephants ran to the easte...
2025-04-20 - Zurich, Switzerland.
On Saturday night, a new baby was born at Zurich Zoo: an elephant calf was born. The 19-year-old Farha gave birth to the male cub on Saturday night. The birth went without complications. The elephant ...
2025-04-12 - Trichur, India.
Nandini was offered to Lord Guruvayurappan on May 9, 1964, by Palliyalil Narayanan Nair of Nilambur. To prevent her condition from deteriorating, a rubber mat was laid for her at Kottumthara four year...
2025-04-12 - Wichita, United States.
The Sedgwick County Zoo announced on Thursday the birth of its first elephant. Talia, the mother elephant, gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Bomani, which means “warrior” in Swahili. Accordin...
2025-03-27 - Chiang Mai, Thailand.
In a united effort to prevent forest fires, a team of three elephants joined over 20 locals in constructing firebreaks in Chiang Mai’s Mae Taeng district on Wednesday. The initiative, led by Phra Kh...
2025-03-27 - Cholamunda, India.
A Wild tusker, known as Kasera Komban, was found dead in abandoned septic tank in Kerala Malappuram. The tusker used to be affectionately called "Kasera Komban" due to its remarkably long tusks, which...
2025-03-18 - Wichita, United States.
The Sedgwick County Zoo announced Monday that 29-year-old African elephant Simunye delivered a stillborn calf following a healthy, full-term pregnancy. This would have marked the first elephant born a...
2025-03-08 - Guwahati, India.
A female elephant calf took birth in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park. The newborn, named Gauri, is the offspring of an elephant named Phulmai, who resides within the protected area of Kaziranga.
2025-03-05 - Trichy, India.
A 60-year-old female elephant named Jaini, who was being cared for at the MR Palayam Government Elephant Rehabilitation Centre in Reserve Forest under the Trichy Forest Division, has passed away. The ...
2025-02-07 - Amboseli, Kenya.
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Paolo, one of Amboseli’s most famous and cherished elephants. At 46 years old, Paolo’s death marks the loss of a true giant, not only in size but ...
