Tamil Nadu: How Theppakadu's topography has helped elephants to thrive

Theppakadu elephant camp, established in 1917 by the British regime, currently houses 28 camp elephants

Theppakadu in the picturesque Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu is known as a town within the dense Mudumalai forests, as over the years it has emerged as the nerve centre for wildlife habitat in south India, especially for elephants.

The village’s plain topography and the natural atmosphere needed for wild animals has helped the local community to maintain jumbos. The century-old elephant camp in Theppakadu brought out vividly in the Oscar-winning short film The Elephant Whisperers is one of the oldest in Asia, serving as home to jumbos that are orphaned and are in need of rehabilitation.

Theppakadu Elephant Camp, which was established in 1917 by the British regime, currently houses 28 camp elephants, including those jumbos captured and rescued by the Forest Department. The mahouts and caretakers spent quite a lot of time taming jumbos that go on a rampage and tending to the calves that have been orphaned.

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The Elephant Whisperers not just brings out the animal-human bonding but also the sacrifices made by the caretakers in serving the jumbos. Located close to the Moyar, a perennial river which is one of the tributaries of Bhavani River, Theppakadu is a heaven for elephants which require water and loads of food to survive.

“Theppakadu is on the plains unlike the sloppy surface for which Nilgiris is known for. While elephants can easily climb up and down, it is very difficult for humans to do so and since Theppakadu is on the plains, it is used as a camp to maintain elephants,” a wildlife expert told DH.

He also said Mudumalai with its natural wild atmosphere and indigenous tribal population is the right place to train elephants and is also a place where timber is found in huge quantities. Over the years, Theppakadu has become the base camp for the Forest Department as the town houses several facilities including a blood sample collection centre.

It is also now the place where the government has built accommodation facilities for people who work in the forests.