Section 4 in Kerala Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules, 2012
4. Upkeep and Veterinary Care of Elephant.
(1)For taking care of each elephant, the owner thereof shall engage a mahout having at least three years of experience in managing an elephant.(2)Every mahout shall attend training programmes in elephant care as and when called for by the Forest Department and it shall be the responsibility of the owner to facilitate the above training by relieving the mahout after making suitable arrangements.(3)The owner shall engage a cavady to assist each mahout.(4)The mahout shall ensure that the elephant gets a thorough bath every day.(5)If the elephant is found sick, injured, unduly stressed or pregnant, the mahout shall report the condition to the owner, who in turn shall consult a Veterinary Doctor for providing treatment expeditiously.(6)Routine examination including parasitic checks shall be carried out regularly and preventive medicines including vaccination be administered at such intervals as may be prescribed by the Veterinary Doctor.(7)The owner shall arrange for medical check-up of the mahout responsible for upkeep of the elephant at least once in a year to ensure that he does not have any diseases which may infect the elephant.(8)The owner shall inform within 24 hours, the. Chief Wildlife Warden or the nearest Forest Office the cases of attack of anthrax, rinderpest, ,hemorrhagic scepticemia, surra or any other contagious disease and shall follow the instruction issued by the authorities for further course of action.(9)The owner shall obtain prior permission of the Chief Wildlife Warden or the officer authorized by him before undertaking distortions, sterilization, vasectomy, tubectomy or any other population control measures for the elephant and shall ensure the assistance of a competent Veterinary Doctor for these measures.(10)The elephant showing symptoms of musth shall be got examined by a Veterinary Doctor.(11)No drugs or intoxicants shall be used to suppress musth except on a written prescription by a Veterinary Doctor.(12)The owner of the elephant shall ensure that in case of musth, the elephant is secured properly and does not become a hazard to the public at large.(13)No owner shall permit the use of nylon ropes or chains/hobbles with spikes or sharp edges for tying the elephants.(14)Weight of the chains and hobbles shall be commensurate with age and health of the elephant.(15)No owner shall permit any type of harness which may expose the back or other sensitive organs of the elephant to pain or injury.(16)Sedatives, if necessary, shall be used to control nervous elephants only as prescribed by a Veterinary Doctor.(17)While issuing medical certificate, the Veterinary Doctor should verify the original documents such as ownership certificate of the elephant, (if received from forest department) microchip certificate, insurance certificate and original elephant data book to ensure the correctness. The Veterinary Doctor shall issue the health certificate of the elephant in the prescribed format shown as Appendix I.(18)Before any captive elephant is transported from one place to another, the Veterinary Doctor shall inspect the elephant and issue a Fitness Certificate in the Form given in Appendix II.
