Wildlife and birds · Murti
The morning elephant bath at Dhupjhora
The forest department keeps its working elephants, the kunkis used for patrols in Gorumara, at Dhupjhora near Murti. Most mornings the mahouts bring them down to the river to bathe, and visitors can watch from a respectful distance.
Kunki elephants are trained elephants used by the forest department for patrolling, tracking poachers, guiding wild herds away from villages and, when needed, rescue. In October 2025, kunkis at Jaldapara carried stranded tourists across floodwater after a bridge collapsed. At Dhupjhora the department's elephants and their mahouts live beside the forest corporation's small camp.
In the morning the mahouts walk the elephants down to the water, scrub them with stones and husks and let them spray and roll. It is a calm, unhurried scene. Stand where the staff tell you, keep children close, and do not feed or touch the elephants without the mahouts' permission.
Elephant rides for visitors have been offered from Dhupjhora in some seasons and stopped in others, depending on the department's rules and the animals' work. Ask the camp or the Lataguri counter, and check current status before you travel.
Cost: Free to watch; rides only when offered
Questions people ask
Good to know
What are kunki elephants?
Kunkis are trained captive elephants used by forest departments in India to patrol forests, drive wild elephants away from villages, carry staff into difficult terrain and help in rescues. Each works with its own mahout. Those at Dhupjhora serve the Gorumara area.
Can we ride elephants at Dhupjhora?
Only when the forest department offers rides, which has varied over the years. Many visitors are happy just watching the morning bath. If rides are running, they are booked through the forest corporation or the department; check current status before you travel.
Is it ethical to watch the elephants?
Watching working elephants being bathed and cared for, from a distance and without feeding or touching them, is low-impact. Avoid any activity that involves the animals performing for visitors, and follow the mahouts' instructions on where to stand.
Also in Murti
