Bijuli Prasad: India's oldest domesticated Asiatic elephant, brought by the British, dies aged 89

Bijuli Prasad, one of the world's oldest elephants who was brought to India by a British farmer during the colonial era, died at the age of around 89 on Monday (August 21) in the northeastern state of Assam.

Caretakers in Sonitpuri district, where he spent his last days,said the pachyderm died of age-related issues.He breathed his last at the Behali tea estate of The Williamson Magor Group around 3.30 am IST.

Bijuli Prasad was brought to work on a tea estate by a British farmer in the 1940s.

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Elephant veterinarian Kushal Konwar Sarma, who cared for Bijuli Prasad in his later years,said: "Domestic elephants live up to 80 years, provided they are taken care of well."

"All the teeth of the elephant fell out due to age and it could not eat. I changed the diet and asked the caretakers to give him boiled food - mostly rice and soybean with a high protein value," AFP news agency quoted him as saying.

Animal lovers and others who were associated with Bijuli Prasad gathered to mourn his death.

As quoted by media outlets, an official of the tea garden said: "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," the official added.

Sarma, who is a Padma Shri awardee and famous elephant surgeon,told PTI, "As far as my knowledge is concerned, Bijuli Prasad was the oldest recorded domestic elephant in India."

He said that the wild Asiatic elephants live up to 62-65 years, while the domestic ones survive till around 80 years with proper care.

An official of the Behali tea estate said that the elephant was offered around 25 kg of food every day.

(With inputs from agencies)

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