Where else would one see the pachyderms up so close? Aanakoodu is the giant wooden cage or elephant kraals used for housing and training the animals. Built-in 1942, the Aanakoodu at Konni can house three to four elephants at a time. The place also has a children’s park. The centre is closed on Mondays.
Baby elephants either abandoned by herds or found wounded and separated from the herd are brought here. The trainers here are familiar with the traditional ways of training the elephants. They follow systematic methods to train the babies and adult elephants, taming them in the process so that they are accustomed to live at the training centre.
Forest officials and veterinary doctors oversee the training. The wild elephants are taught to obey specific commands and are trained to become Kumki elephants which are used in the capture, rescue, or calming of wild elephants and other wild animals which may be caught in conflict situations. You can see elephants taking part in special exercises, being taken for walks and being given baths and diets.
The baby elephants are a friendly lot and often interact with visitors. Do drop in at the elephant museum here which also houses the skeleton of a tusker. The eco-store has herbal medicines and other products made from natural materials. Check out the handmade paper here, made from the fibre in elephant dung. The elephant dung is converted into biogas. Aanakoodu is a great place to introduce young children to the ways of these giant yet gentle creatures and make it a vacation to remember.
Adults: ₹40
Kids: ₹15
All days: 09:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Only offline booking is available
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