Jumbo collects ‘mammol’ from sugarcane laden trucks

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT
Mysuru

An elephant stopped a sugarcane laden truck and took its share of cane before allowing it to move further near Punajanur on Bengaluru- Dindigal National Highway which passes through Chamarajanagar district on Friday.

Once the harvesting of sugarcane begins, the wild jumbos come on this national highway near Aasanur, Kaarepala, Punajanur and surrounding areas for the collection of ‘Mammol’ from these trucks. The modus operandi of these pachyderms was to stand on the road and stop the slow moving trucks from taking as much sugarcane as possible.

The drivers also stop the trucks once they see the jumbos and allow them to munch as much as they can and then proceed to the sugar mills. The factory owners would not question the drivers for less weight of sugarcane.

On Friday, a lone jumbos, like a toll collector, stood on the road and plucked the sugarcane till its tummy became full. A truck driver coming from the opposite direction has recorded this ‘collection’ by the wild jumbo and shared the same on social media. The habit of stopping trucks was started by some drivers a few years ago and since then the jumbos in the nearby forest assemble on the highway whenever it feels like having the sugarcane. Now, these elephants boldly stop the sugarcane laden trucks and relish the cane without any fear.

'Traffic inspector'

A wild tusker held up traffic on the busy Male Mahadeshwara Hills in Chamarajanagar near Hanur on Friday. This caused hardship for hundreds of devotees who visit the hill shrine regularly. This temple attracts devotees not only from Karnataka, but also from neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

This shrine is situated amidst nature and this has made it more attractive. This jumbo came just to the middle of the road and stood there for almost one hour. The elephant moved menacingly towards a two-wheeler rider who was waiting to cross the road. He reversed and fled. The jumbo got scared when the people screamed loudly in panic. They got down from the vehicle and ran helterskelter seeing the tusker rushing towards them.

Luckily, the pachyderm also went back out of panic. Seeing the people everywhere, the jumbo stood on the road for about one hour. Even drivers too stopped their vehicles and patiently waited for the jumbo to go back to the wild. The elephant didn't harm anyone and left the scene silently much to the relief of the waiting people.