Kaziranga loses oldest ranger as 90-year-old elephant Mohanmala bids farewell

Mohanmala was part of the most challenging operations in Kaziranga, from dangerous anti-poaching patrols to treacherous flood rescues

Mohanmala walked into the dense marshes of Kaziranga in May 1970 – a plucky elephant, calm and composed, but fearless. She roamed the vast tracts of the lush Kaziranga, then still a wildlife sanctuary, slowly building a reputation as a powerful swimmer who coursed through water bodies that put paid to boats.

Mohanmala was brought to Kaziranga on May 17, 1970. (HT PHOTO)

“She was known as the park’s unofficial ambulance, transporting sick or injured forest staff from remote camps to safety, and even bringing them back after recovery,” said Kiran Rabha, the head mahout of the Kohora range in Kaziranga.

A hush fell around the national park on Thursday, when Mohanmala, the oldest surviving elephant of the Kaziranga forest department, breathed her last. She was 90.

She watched the wildlife sanctuary evolve into a national park in 1974, worked alongside some of its most legendary elephants – Gadapani, Ray Bahadur, Joy Shankar, Joymala, and Joytara – and outlived five of her mahouts.

She was part of the most challenging operations in Kaziranga, from dangerous anti-poaching patrols to treacherous flood rescues, from carrying tourists through the Kohora wilderness to ferrying forest guards who needed to venture into unexplored territory.

“Mohanmala was brought as a gift from a former officer. She was calm, composed, and yet fearless when needed,” said park director Sonali Ghosh.

Around 13 years ago, as age began to slow her down, park authorities retired her on her mahouts’ recommendation. Since then, she had been living at the Mihimukh elephant camp, receiving food, veterinary care, and attention from the forest department until her final days.She was also granted a government pension.

In an official statement, Kaziranga authorities said she was brought from the Kamrup hills.

“Mohanmala was brought to Kaziranga on May 17, 1970, from Kamrup, during the tenure of the then principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), Durga Prasad Neog. Over the past five decades, she served the park with exceptional dedication, becoming an inseparable part of Kaziranga’s conservation history,” the statement read.

“With her passing, Kaziranga has lost not just a working member, but a trusted colleague, a flood-time saviour, and a symbol of loyalty and courage. Her decades of service will remain etched in the park’s history, and her absence will be deeply felt by all who worked alongside her,” it added.

Mohanmala’s last rites were performed at the Kohora range on Thursday afternoon, with forest personnel and locals joining to pay their final respects.