Malappuram: The students of the Pearl Buds School for differently-abled children in the Malappuram municipality were treated to a special interaction with an elephant on Wednesday. The jumbo, named Kaveri, made the day for the youngsters and earned their love.

It was a long wish of the students to see an elephant up close and, if possible, touch the gentle giant. Upon learning about this desire, local animal lover Shimil Atholy from Melmuri, along with former municipal councillor V Rinisha, took the initiative to make it a reality.

Finally, an elephant reached the school. But it did not spread panic as when a wild elephant intruded into human habitations, but it gained the affection of the students. 

Kaveri, the female elephant, is owned by Shimil. When it arrived at the school around noon, all 40 differently-abled children, including those in wheelchairs, were excited.

Even though some students were initially a little afraid, everyone smiled and gave out loud shouts soon after. One by one, the students approached the Kaveri and offered it a banana. Kaveri reciprocated by carefully caressing the heads of the children with the tip of its trunk.

"The programme was organised to bring joy to the differently-abled children and develop compassion and empathy towards animals among them," said Shimil.