Odisha: Similipal’s mighty Mahendra, which survived Maoist bullets, dies at 66
BARIPADA: Mahendra, the trained bull elephant engaged in protection of Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), died after prolonged illness late on Sunday.
The 66-year-old ‘kunki’ elephant was undergoing treatment at Chahala camp for old-age related ailments.
Regional chief conservator of forests (RCCF) and field director of STR Prakash Chand Gogineni said the tusker had stopped eating from Sunday morning and was being treated by veterinary doctor Abhilash Acharya.
After its death, a team of vets conducted autopsy and buried the carcass. The exact cause of Mahendra’s death will be ascertained after the postmortem report arrives, said Gogineni.
Former principal chief conservator of forests Debabrata Swain, who earlier served as the field director of STR, said Mahendra’s death was an irreparable loss to both Similipal and Odisha. The tusker spent 24 years of its life protecting the sanctuary from timber mafia and poachers. It also helped forest officials in tracking the movement of tigers.
Mahendra was brought to Similipal in December 2001 from the Rajiv Gandhi National Park’s Hamsur wildlife division in Karnataka, along with two female elephants Bhavani and Shobha. The eight-foot-tall tusker was engaged to prevent entry of poachers and drive out outside elephants which attempted to enter Similipal.
In 2012, the elephant suffered injuries after being shot with bullets and arrows during a Maoist attack at Gudugudia in Similipal. However, it recovered completely after surgery and resumed duty.
In 2019, Mahendra was taken to Satkosia wildlife sanctuary in Angul district to guard and track tigress Sundari which was brought from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. The tusker was subsequently brought back to Similipal.
Swain said Mahendra’s remarkable service to Similipal, particularly its role in protecting the wildlife and forest, will forever be remembered. The elephant’s death marks the end of an era for the sanctuary and leaves behind an enduring legacy of dedication and heroism.
