A 66-year-old tusker engaged in protecting timber and tigers in the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, has died during treatment, a senior forest department official said on Monday.<\/p>\n
On Sunday around 10.30 pm, the elephant, Mahendra, died in the Chahala camp.<\/p>\n
The jumbo had stopped eating from Sunday morning and it died of old age-related weakness, STR field director Dr Prakash Chand Gogineni said.<\/p>\n
“Mahendra was under the treatment of veterinary doctor Abhilash Acharya. A post-mortem examination will be conducted,” Gogineni said.<\/p>\n
Mahendra, a trained jumbo, was brought to Similipal in December 2001 from the Rajiv Gandhi National Park in Karnataka, along with two female elephants Bhavani and Shobha.<\/p>\n
The jumbo during its deployment in Similipal, had received bullet injuries in a Maoist attack in 2012.<\/p>\n
The elephant had also suffered arrow hits by poachers in the forest. It, however, recovered and resumed work, an official said.<\/p>\n
Mahendra was also deployed to guard the tigress Sundari. It was brought from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh to Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary in Angul district in 2019.<\/p>\n
The jumbo was later shifted back to Similipal.<\/p>\n
Forest officials and local communities on Monday mourned Mahendra’s death and described the tusker as a true \u201chero\u201d as it was a protector of wildlife in Similipal.<\/p>\n
\u201cMahendra was not just an elephant, but a symbol of strength against poachers and timber smugglers. His bravery will always be remembered,\u201d a forest department official said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)<\/i><\/p>\n
\u200bA 66-year-old tusker engaged in protecting timber and tigers in the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, has died during treatment, a senior forest department official said on Monday.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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