Thrissur pooram to be held on April 19 amidst row over ensuring elephants' fitness

A directive of the forest department that forest department doctors will reverify all elephants that are verified by the animal husbandry department had irked the elephant owners.

Thiruvananthapuram: Thrissur pooram festival of Kerala will be held on Friday (April 19) amidst a row over imposing fresh norms to ensure fitness of elephants.

Even as the forest department imposed fresh norms to reverify fitness of the elephants to be paraded, the state government intervened and lifted the norms after elephant owners threatened to boycott the event. 

Parading of elephants and display of parasols by the Paramekavu and Thiruvambady devaswoms along with percussion at the Thekkinkadu  ground of Vadakkunnathan temple in Thrissur are the highlights of the event. It will be followed by major fireworks.

A directive of the forest department on Tuesday that forest department doctors will reverify all elephants that are verified by the  animal husbandry department had irked the elephant owners, who even made a call for boycotting the pooram.

The state government swiftly chipped in.with Revenue minister K Rajan stating that the forest department will relax the norms.

The Kerala High court recently ordered that a minimum distance of six metres should be maintained between the elephants as well as the artist. 

Animal welfare activists and organisations had approached the court raising concerns over parading of even elephants with injuries and fatigue at temple festivals leading to mishaps caused by elephants running amok.