<p>Masini, a female elephant that behaved violently after being detached from her herd, will now go back to her home – Mudumalai forests in the Nilgiris – after a gap of two years.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Masini’s freedom came in the form of an order by the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court which was hearing a petition seeking her transfer from a temple to an elephant camp in Theppakadu in the Nilgiris.</p>.<p class="bodytext">After having been forcibly separated from her friends, Masini was donated to the Mariamman Temple in Samayapuram near Tiruchirapalli in 2016 by the then chief minister J Jayalalithaa. Dejected at being separated, the temple elephant behaved violently many times and Masini’s desperation reached a crescendo in May when she trampled her mahout to death. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Majority of well-known temples in Tamil Nadu have elephants and they become the centre of attraction for pilgrims.</p>.<p class="bodytext">After the incident, animal rights activist Antony Clement Rubin moved the Madurai bench seeking transfer of Masini, currently at a Veterinary Hospital and Research Institute, to Mudumalai. Considering the submission made by the dean of Veterinary College and Research Institute, a division bench of Justices M M Sundresh and N Satish Kumar ordered transportation of the elephant to her earlier habitat and continuation of treatment.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The case has been posted for hearing after three weeks.</p>
<p>Masini, a female elephant that behaved violently after being detached from her herd, will now go back to her home – Mudumalai forests in the Nilgiris – after a gap of two years.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Masini’s freedom came in the form of an order by the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court which was hearing a petition seeking her transfer from a temple to an elephant camp in Theppakadu in the Nilgiris.</p>.<p class="bodytext">After having been forcibly separated from her friends, Masini was donated to the Mariamman Temple in Samayapuram near Tiruchirapalli in 2016 by the then chief minister J Jayalalithaa. Dejected at being separated, the temple elephant behaved violently many times and Masini’s desperation reached a crescendo in May when she trampled her mahout to death. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Majority of well-known temples in Tamil Nadu have elephants and they become the centre of attraction for pilgrims.</p>.<p class="bodytext">After the incident, animal rights activist Antony Clement Rubin moved the Madurai bench seeking transfer of Masini, currently at a Veterinary Hospital and Research Institute, to Mudumalai. Considering the submission made by the dean of Veterinary College and Research Institute, a division bench of Justices M M Sundresh and N Satish Kumar ordered transportation of the elephant to her earlier habitat and continuation of treatment.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The case has been posted for hearing after three weeks.</p>