India’s oldest surviving captive elephant named Bijuli Prasad passed away in Assam at the age of 89. The elegant giant was found motionless in a sprawling tea estate in the north eastern state’s Sonitpur district. His mahout said he passed away suddenly and peacefully.
Named by Philip Magor, who frequently visited from the UK, Bijuli was first rescued from the wild in the 1940s and sold by the family of Ranjeet Dutta, the current local MLA, to Williamson Magor & Co Ltd in the 1950s, for approximately Rs 3,000, when it was still young.
With passing time, Bijuli became an integral part of Borgang tea estate where he lived till he was relocated to nearby Behali tea estate towards his last days, that also saw the end of an illustrious career of over six decades at the tea garden.
The tusker was a steadfast worker in the plantation. “Bijuli Prasad was a source of pride for our company. We employed a priest for his worship and two mahouts to care for him, even though he had retired long ago,” said Ujjal Basnet, deputy manager of Behali tea estate.
Bijuli Prasad held great significance for the tea estate, attracting visitors who sought blessings from the elephant, said Basnet. The elephant symbolised the success of the original company and even became the logo of McLeod Russel India Limited, part of the Williamson Magor Group.
Dr Diganta Sarma, the government wildlife veterinarian who tended to Bijuli Prasad until the end, said: “While Bijuli Prasad’s age was confirmed as 89 years, his exact birth date remains unknown since he was captured from the wild.”
Bijuli was known for his courage in warding off ivory smugglers and clearing tea bushes with elan. He was an obedient yet intelligent animal, full of energy, sources at the tea garden 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,” Dr Kushal Sarma, who was treating him, said.
An official of the Behali tea estate said that the elephant was offered around 25 kg of food every day.
Asian elephants normally live up to 65 years in the wild and around 75-80 years in domestic care.
The jumbo was laid to rest in the tea garden. Hundreds of admirers paid their heartfelt tributes to the beloved “grandpa elephant.”
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