Bijuli Prasad, India's oldest elephant passes away at 89
The oldest domestic Asiatic elephant in India passed away on Monday at the age of 89, officials of the Sonitpur district of Assam reported. According to sources, the giant jumbo named Bijuli Prasad died at around 3.30 am at The Williamson Magor Group's Behali tea estate owing to age-related problems. Reportedly, Prasad led a regal life in the tea estate post-retirement.
Prasad was named by his master Oliver Sahib from England
Prasad, which was brought to the Bargang tea estate as a calf, was named by his master Oliver Sahib from England. Later, when the Bargang tea plantation was sold off, the elephant was transferred to the Behali tea estate. In 2018, the legendary animal was, however, moved from Borgang to the Bihali tea estate along with his adivasi mahout (keeper).
Many arrived to mourn the elephant's death
Many individuals including animal lovers, tea garden officials, and locals, who were connected to Prasad, arrived at the location to mourn its death. Meanwhile, the Bargang Forest Officer Chakrapani Roy and his team made arrangements for the deceased elephant's funeral. "Bijuli Prasad was a symbol of pride for The Williamson Magor Group," a tea garden official was quoted saying.
The jumbo was monitored frequently
Two keepers on the corporate payroll were given to Prasad by the management of the Mogar Family even after its retirement. The elephant had three king-sized meals each day and underwent weekly weight and health checks. Its health reports were then forwarded to the company's corporate office in Kolkata for documentation. At that time, Prasad weighed around a whopping 400 kg.
Prasad was the oldest recorded domestic elephant in India
"As far as my knowledge is concerned, Bijuli Prasad was the oldest recorded domestic elephant in India," Padma Shri awardee and elephant surgeon Dr. Kushal Konwar Sarma told PTI. He stated that while the wild Asiatic elephants live up to 62-65 years, the domestic ones survive till around 80 years with proper care. Previously, the title belonged to Dakshayani, an 88-year-old elephant from Kerala.
Prasad's diet was renewed in between
Dr. Sharma further said, "After all its teeth fell off around 8-10 years ago, Bijuli Prasad could not eat anything and was about to die. Then I went there and treated him." "I had changed all his regular food and started mostly boiled food like rice and soybean with high protein value. This increased his longevity," he added.
