(Elephant Training Centre / Konni Anankoodu )
CATEGORY : ECO TOURISM
Konni is a popular training centre for elephants in Kerala.
Located in the district of Pathanamthitta, it is a major centre of tourist
attraction in Kerala, and attracts visitors in large numbers throughout the
year.
Situated about 11 km from Pathanamthitta, the
main attraction at the elephant-training centre at Konni is the huge cages
built of wood to house elephants. This massive wooden cage is locally known as Aanakoodu and can accommodate three to four
elephants at a time.
The chief task of the trainers here at Konni is
to train baby elephants, which are brought to the training centre after getting
separated from its herd, or found wounded and roaming lonely in the forest.
Experienced trainers, who employ some of the time-tested methods to tame the
baby elephants, follow systematic training methodologies. Some of the training
programmes besides making the elephants to obey commands include, daily
exercises in the morning, which also include a walk in the premises, followed
by bath and feeding of a special diet.
At Konni, visitors can get a close look at these trainee elephants and can observe and understand a lot about their behaviour, especially that of baby elephants, which are often mischievous and are focus of attention of majority of the visitors, especially children.
One can also find bigger elephants at the
centre, and a ride on these majestic animals is an exciting one. The bigger
elephants are also some times used for works inside the forest land adjoining
the training centre.
For more details contact
Telephone
0468 2247645 ( Eco tourism Office, Konni)
0468 2342005 ( Forest Range Office, Konni)
0468 2242233 ( Divisional Forest Office, Konni)
Address
Divisional Forest Officer
Divisional Forest Office
Konni P.O.,
Pathanamthitta (Dist:), Kerala.
Attractions
- Elephant Riding
- Elephant museum
- Elephant Training
- Baby Elephants
- Bowl Boat Riding / Coracle Rafting /Kutta Vanchi Savari
How to reach
Both the state run KSRTC and Private Luxury Bus are available
from Pathanamthitta to Konni. All the buses to Punalur and Pathanapuram passes
through Konni.