The Forest Department has installed 14 CCTV cameras around the Mysuru Palace premises to monitor the Dasara elephant team around the clock. This move is part of the Jumboo Savari training sessions, which have begun in earnest. Public entry into the elephant enclosure has been restricted to ensure the animals’ health and safety.
The CCTV system covers strategic points to track the elephants’ movements and prevent unauthorized access. Three locations, including the Kodi Someshwara Temple Yard, have been designated for tethering the elephants, each under constant surveillance. Feeds from all cameras are relayed to a television screen at the storage centre near the kitchen, where staff monitor the visuals continuously, and senior officers such as the Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) can view the live feed on their mobile phones.
The kitchen where nutritious meals for the elephants are prepared is also under CCTV coverage to ensure transparency and strict compliance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Entry is limited to Forest Department staff and mahouts, and cameras help prevent people from approaching the animals.
Following the tragic elephant attack at Dubare Elephant Camp earlier this year, which claimed the lives of a Chennai-based woman tourist and the elephant Jayamarthanda, the Forest Department has strictly enforced SOPs, barring public access near the elephants. Police and Forest Department personnel have been deployed along approach roads, turning away hundreds of visitors at the Bhuvaneshwari and Trinayaneshwara Temple gates.
Enthusiasts are now flocking to watch the Jumboo Savari route training sessions from the Palace to Bannimantap via Sayyaji Rao Road, gathering in large numbers each morning and evening. On the fourth day of training, elephant Prashanth led the contingent, with wildlife lovers gathering at the Anjaneyaswamy Temple grounds to watch the march.
In the evening, elephant Dhananjaya led the rehearsal along the stretch from the Palace premises to the Government Ayurveda College, drawing thousands of spectators who offered flowers and bowed reverently as the Dasara elephant team passed.