Bob haircut elephant: The picture of a temple elephant in Tamil Nadu has gone viral on social media due to the giant mammal’s unique hairdo! Elephants are revered creatures in southern states and temples usually have the mighty animals, where they are looked after. The picture of one such elephant was shared by Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Sudha Ramen on her Twitter account. The pachyderm lives in Mannargudi’s Rajagopalaswamy Temple, and in the image, it was getting its hair styled by a man. While sharing the image, Ramen said that the elephant is known as ‘Bob-cut Sengamalam’.
She added that the tusker had a huge fan base simply for her hairstyle.
She is famously known as “Bob-cut Sengamalam” who has a huge fan club just for her hair style. You can see her at Sri Rajagopalaswamy Temple, Mannargudi, Tamilnadu.
Pics from Internet. pic.twitter.com/KINN8FHOV3— Sudha Ramen IFS ???????? (@SudhaRamenIFS) July 5, 2020
A report in IE stated that the images of the elephant had gone viral back in 2018 as well, and then, her mahout Rajagopal had said that he kept and looked after the pachyderm like a child. Talking about the unique style, he had told the local media that he had once seen an elephant calf on the internet which sported a bob-cut, which became his inspiration. He had further said that his wish of growing Sengamalam’s hair came to fruition due to the tusker’s calm and friendly behaviour.
However, the photo has also sparked debates on social media about the animal being kept in captivity, and many said the tusker deserved to live its life in the wild. However, some of the users on social media, who according to the IE report had visited the temple, said that the elephant was pampered a lot.
After the comments about its captivity cropped up, IFS officer Ramen said that it is important to understand that a captive animal or one that was born in captivity would find it very hard to survive in the wild. She added that the Captive Elephant Management Rules were being followed very strictly. She added that neither all captive animals are treated well, nor are all treated badly. However, as informed citizens, everyone should know about the existence of such rules, and if citizens find that any captive animal is being treated badly, they must inform the concerned authorities.
She added that for the temple elephants, rejuvenation camps are conducted by the Tamil Nadu government where they can camp together and enjoy a wild experience, and the camp helps the mental health of the animals.
There was no promotion in this tweet. We all know that many Elephants are held captives at many places in India. And do understand that a Captive animal or an animal born in captivity will find the wild very hard to survive. Captive Elephant Management rules are strong &followed
— Sudha Ramen IFS ???????? (@SudhaRamenIFS) July 6, 2020
Not that all Captive elephants are badly treated and not that all are treated well. As an informed citizen, one should know the existing rules at first place and if they find the animal is treated badly, they need to inform the concerned authority for immediate action.
— Sudha Ramen IFS ???????? (@SudhaRamenIFS) July 6, 2020
