NILGIRIS: A 54-year-old captive elephant died of health ailments at the Theppakadu Elephant Camp in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve early on Wednesday.
The dead tusker, Santhosh, was characterised by his long tusks, and was one of the few captive elephants allowed to graze freely in the camp at night.
MTR deputy director C Vidya said, “Santhosh was born in the Theppakadu Elephant Camp on August 15, 1971. Of late, he suffered from chronic dentine issues, probably due to the heavy tusks. If his caretaker had not trimmed Santhosh’s tusks on a regular basis, he would have had the longest tusks in Asia.”
It was due to the heaviness and patterns of the tusks that Santhosh was not trained as a kumki elephant.
“Despite his gigantic tusks and being a camp-born animal, Santhosh was a gentle soul, unlike other elephants born in captivity that are naughty. We had celebrated his birthday by cutting a ragi cake mixed with coconut and jaggery in the camp on August 15 when a large number of tourists gathered, and he was enjoying himself waving the national flag. MTR will miss him a lot,” said Vidya.
“Usually, his food intake is low, and that’s why we gave protein powders to compensate for the nutrient deficiency. He fell seriously ill a week ago, and despite continued monitoring and treatment, the animal breathed last at 1.30 am on Wednesday,” the official said.
After his death, Santhosh was wrapped in a white cloth and the mahout, along with the trainers of all other camp elephants, paid floral tributes. A postmortem revealed that the jumbo’s internal organs such as the heart and liver had been affected.
After postmortem, Santhosh was buried near the camp.
Meanwhile, wildlife enthusiasts demanded the forest department to erect a monument with his tusks at Theppakadu Elephant Camp, where a large number of tourists visit every day,.