Baby jumbo enjoying a hearty splash

This baby elephant is an inmate of an ‘elephant school’ located at Kodanad, a village on the banks of the River Periyar in Ernakulam district of Kerala.

In the olden days, before elephant hunting was banned in the state, a large number of wild elephants captured from the nearby forests were brought here for taming. Today also, the school has students; baby elephants that are either washed down the streams during floods or abandoned by parents. Here is one such toddler enjoying his bath thoroughly.

The elephants here are groomed and trained quite systematically and scientifically. Bathing in the nearby river is part of the inmates’ daily routine.

The baby pachyderms are fond of playing in water and for the visitors this is a not-to-miss sight. Large numbers of visitors are attracted to the place including wildlife enthusiasts from different parts of the world.

Two other such centres in Kerala are located at Konni in Pathanamthitta district and Muthanga in Wayanad district.