Bengaluru
Ashwathama, the 38-year-old elephant, known for its participation in the Mysore Dasara festival, died of electrocution on Monday night, forest officials said.
Ashwathama garnered attention by participating in two Mysore Dasara events in 2021 and 2022. The elephant, staying in the Bhimanakatte elephant camp within the Nagarhole tiger reserve, was tied near a solar fence on the border of the Bhimanakatte forest. The elephant came into contact with an electric wire from a solar fence, resulting in his instant death.
Ashwathama was trained to take part in the Mysore Dasara festivities following his capture from the forests of Sakleshpur in Hassan district in 2017.
The elephant participated in the Mysore Dasara for the first time in 2021, earning admiration for its calm and majestic demeanour. However, the elephant didn’t take part in the Jambu Savari — the elephant procession during the Mysore Dasara festivities — as he was still under training.
Although Ashwathama never participated in the Jambu Savari, the elephant was well-trained for the festival, according to mahouts. The news of Ashwathama’s untimely death has left mahouts and wildlife enthusiasts mourning the loss of the gentle giant.
“The elephant was calm in nature and always obeyed its mahout’s orders’’ Nagarhole tiger reserve project director Harshakumar Chikkanaragunda told HT. “As he was mild in nature, officers sent him to Mysuru Dasara just four years after capturing it.”
“The solar fence was erected to prevent the entry of wild elephants into the elephant camp,” he further said.
{{/usCountry}}“The solar fence was erected to prevent the entry of wild elephants into the elephant camp,” he further said.
{{/usCountry}}Chikkanaragunda said that the autopsy has been conducted, and the report will be available within the next three days.
On December 4, another Dasara elephant, Arjuna (60), succumbed to injuries after a wild elephant attacked him during an elephant capture operation in Hassan district. Arjuna had carried the Golden Howdah — the carrier mounted on top of the leading elephant during the Jambu Savari — from 2012 to 2019 during Dasara festivities.