In Assam’s Sonitpur district, the oldest domestic Asiatic elephant in India passed away on Monday at the age of 89, according to officials.
Around 3.30 am, the majestic giant known as Bijuli Prasad passed away at The Williamson Magor Group’s Behali tea estate from age-related problems, according to reports.
Several Bijuli Prasad fans, including animal enthusiasts, tea garden employees, and villagers, gathered to mourn the passing of the pachyderm.
‘Bijuli Prasad was a symbol of pride for The Williamson Magor Group. It was first brought to the Bargang tea estate as a calf, and later shifted here after the Bargang tea estate was sold off by the company,’ an official of the tea garden said.
He claimed that after retiring, the elephant, whose age is estimated to be 89, was living the life of a king on the tea estate.
According to Padma Shri recipient and well-known elephant surgeon Dr. Kushal Konwar Sarma, Bijuli Prasad was India’s oldest known domestic elephant.
According to him, domestic Asian elephants can live up to 80 years with good care, compared to the 62–65 years on average for wild Asian elephants.
‘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,’ Sarma said.
According to a representative of the Behali tea estate, the elephant received about 25 kg of food each day.
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