The city's elephants, especially those ferrying tourists, will soon be able to catch a breath and enjoy a leisurely bath in a pond that the state government plans to build near the Amber Fort.

There are 105 elephants in the city, of which 50 are used to ferry tourists to and from the fort situated atop a hill on the outskirts of Rajasthan's historic capital.

"We are mindful of the elephants' health and have decided to provide a permanent shed and a pond for them near Amber," said a senior official of Rajasthan's tourism department. 

A sum of Rs.2 million has been allotted for the project, he said.

Plans are afoot to give the elephants ferrying tourists a four-hour break every day from 12 noon to 4 p.m., as it was found that the animals developed blisters on their feet while walking on the summer-heated ground.

The elephants have also been fitted with lightweight reflectors weighing 50 gm to prevent them from being hit by fast moving cars during the night.

Shyam Gupta, secretary of the Jaipur Elephants Association, said: "Putting on the reflectors on the elephants is a good exercise. It has prevented accidents during the night.

"So far about 100 elephants have been fitted with these reflectors," Gupta said.