Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is set to inaugurate Asia’s first elephant rehabilitation centre in a natural habitat (of jumbos) at Kappukad in Kottur here on Friday. The facility, designed to accommodate 50 elephants. Spread across 176 hectares and featuring modern amenities, the project is expected to generate local employment opportunities. The inauguration follows a major facelift of the centre.

Innovative features for elephant care

The advanced facility includes an elephant natural history museum and various modern amenities specifically tailored for group living. It particularly caters to female elephants and their calves, thereby mimicking their natural social structures. Each tusker is allocated a minimum of one acre of forested area equipped with similar facilities.

Support for young elephants and mahouts

Other notable features include a hand-rearing area for young elephants, quarantine zones for calves, specially constructed enclosures for elephants in musth, and kraals for those captured from the wild. The centre also provides essential resources such as a training hub for mahouts, veterinarians, foresters, and enthusiasts. Additionally, it houses an elephant veterinary hospital, a kitchen, a feeding complex, zero-waste management systems, and a crematorium. The elephant natural history museum is expected to be fully operational, complete with exhibits, by January.