Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], November 5 (ANI): The Elephant Rehabilitation Centre at Kottoor in Thiruvananthapuram is set to become the largest care and cure centre for elephants in the world.
The first phase of the Elephant Rehabilitation Centre will be commissioned in February 2021. The project is being implemented at a cost of Rs 108 crore with funding from Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). The centre has facilities to accommodate 50 elephants including the existing 16 elephants. The project will also include the construction of various reservoirs and check dams at the Neyyar Dam and also special facilities for the care of elephant calves. The aim of the centre is to give elephants a natural ecosystem just like in the forest.
“The centre will also have an elephant museum, a veterinary hospital with super specialty facilities, a study and research centre for nature lovers and students, a training centre for mahouts, an entrance plaza, an administrative office, parking for visitors, a cafeteria, cottages, a toilet block and a special elephant viewing facility,” the official release said.
More than 250 will be employed every day after the completion of the project. The project is also expected to generate job opportunities for the locals and adivasis living in the nearby forest areas will be given priority in the employment at the centre.
Kottur is expected to become a major site for tourists after the completion of this project.
“With the completion of the project, Kottur will become a major tourist destination in the Thiruvananthapuram district and will see a huge leap in the tourism sector in general as more than 3.5 lakh people, including half a lakh tourists from overseas, are expected to visit Kottoor every year. Tourism projects of the Forest Department and the Water Resources Department in the Neyyar Dam area will also be developed along with this project,” it added.
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