Bijuli Prasad, the world's oldest Asiatic elephant, who lived royally in the tea gardens of Assam has died. The majestic jumbo age is estimated to be 89 years.
Bijuli Prasad breathed his last at the Behali tea estate of The Williamson Magor Group around 3.30 am due to age-related issues, news agency PTI reported.
Prasad was named by his master Oliver Sahib from England. People who were associated with the jumbo including animal lovers, tea garden workers as well as locals gathered to mourn the death of the majestic jumbo.
"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.
Padma Shri awardee and famous elephant surgeon Dr Kushal Konwar Sarma told PTI, "As far as my knowledge is concerned, Bijuli Prasad was the oldest recorded domestic elephant in India." Usually, the wild Asiatic elephants live up to 62-65 years, while the domestic ones survive till around 80 years with proper care, he 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 Sarma said.
Featured Video Of The Day
Barack Obama Wants Joe Biden To Pull Out Of US Presidential Race: Report World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage Shooter Had Trump's Face Right In Middle Of Crosshairs, Shows New Video Comedy Legend Bob Newhart Dead At 94: Publicist Israeli Strike Kills Field Commander In Elite Hezbollah Unit: Report Delhi-San Francisco Air India Flight Diverted To Russia After Engine Glitch Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.