On World Elephant Day, A Fashion Show, Birthday Cake, 15 Happy Pachyderms

Fifteen elephants and a fashion parade, and some cake too.

In the 'elephant village' in Jaipur there were special celebrations to mark World Elephant Day.

Social Justice Minister Avinash Gehlot looked on as elephants decked up in their Sunday best paraded on the ramp, cut a cake, and enjoyed a feast of fruits, jaggery, cucumber, and sugarcane.

Jaipur is home to 75 elephants. Most live in the 'village' on the outskirts of Amer City and spend their days ferrying up and down the hill on which the fort - a beautiful 12th century building - was built. The fort's location, then, meant you could only access it on an elephant or horse.

But after the princely states stopped the tradition of keeping the gentle giants in Amer, they found a new occupation, i.e., ferrying tourists up to their forefathers' former home.

Today their welfare is governed by an animal welfare board and the forest department.

They can only make one trip up and down the hill in a day, and that too by rotation only.

The rest of the day they spend at 'home', in spacious and specially-made stalls and with a personal 'swimming pool', i.e., a large pond to bathe in, and regular medical check-ups.

Elephant day celebrations in Jaipurs elephant village pic.twitter.com/p1iq3rhtX7

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And, of course, lots of treats on World Elephant Day!

All the elephants, including the lone male, were dressed in silver ornaments - from elaborate neck pieces to anklets and head gear - to walk on the red carpet

The lone male, Babu, led the line, carrying his mahout who, in turn, held an Indian flag. The other elephants, including Parvati and Chanda, both adept at elegantly garlanding special guests, followed. They greeted Mr Gehlot with a five-foot-long garland.

That wasn't their first interaction with dignitaries either; it was Parvati and Chanda who welcomed United States Vice President JD Vance and family to Jaipur earlier this year.

And they are film stars too, with small roles in movies like 'Jodha Akbar' in 2008.

Meanwhile, it was a doubly special day for another elephant.

Young Junali, 18 years old now, celebrated her birthday covered in flowers and cutting her two-tiered cake with her trunk. She then proceeded to enjoy the cake as the minister and everyone sang 'happy birthday'.

"There should be concern and care for animals in society and we should work towards their conservation. This is the first 'elephant village'... set up by former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. Then there were over 100 elephants... the numbers have come down, but we should make every effort for their welfare," Mr Gehlot told NDTV, "The government is subsidising their care."

The elephants here receive bi-annual medical check-ups.

"We also monitor their routine and diet according to the season, as elephants are very sensitive to weather and temperature. We also train mahouts, or their handlers, on how to understand their behaviour and needs all through the year," veterinary Dr Arvind Mathur said.

Babu Khan, under whose protection many of the elephants live, said, "Celebrations like these are welcome... it will help tourism and showcase how well the animals are looked after here."