A recent picture of Dasara tusker Prashanth takes part in the wooden howdah rehearsal
Meanwhile, the third phase of the 21-gun salute rehearsal for Mysuru Dasara was conducted successfully at the Dasara Exhibition Grounds on Monday, with the Dasara elephant contingent and mounted police horses remaining calm despite the loud explosions. The rehearsal is organised to familiarise elephants and horses with the sound of cannon fire during the Dasara procession on Oct 21. A total of 11 Dasara elephants, 43 horses from the Mounted Police squad and 35 City Armed Reserve (CAR) personnel participated in Monday’s drill. During the exercise, CAR personnel deployed seven cannon carriages and fired 21 rounds, with each carriage firing three rounds.
Elephants Srikanta and Ekalavya were absent as they were taking part in the royal family’s private Dasara celebrations. The elephants and horses displayed composure and remained unperturbed by the loud blasts, marking the successful completion of the rehearsal. The exercise was conducted under the supervision of DCF (wildlife) I G Prabhugouda and CAR DCP Siddanagowda Y Patil.