Dudhwa Elephant Born On The Day Of Important Kargil Victory Passes Away

Lakhimpur Kheri,: An elephant in Dudhwa National Park, born on the day the Indian Army captured Batalik top in 1999 during the Kargil conflict is no more, forest officials said.

Batalik died on the evening of June 15, due to multiple organ failure, on the day Dudhwa National Park was closed to tourists till November 15.

Ramesh Pandey, field director of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve told PTI, "Batalik had entered into a state of 'musth' (stimulated to mate) and had gone beyond the control of his mahout. To control the elephant, which had even charged at his mahout, a mild dose of sedative was administered and he was kept at Salukapur."

Mr Pandey said a wildlife expert was called in and many IVRI experts were also consulted.

"Batalik was found to be suffering from dehydration and metabolic system disturbances. Medical treatment was planned accordingly. On June 14, Batalik sank to the ground and died the next day. An autopsy by a team of three veterinary doctors was carried out to ascertain the exact cause of death," he said.

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Asked about the post-mortem findings, Mr Pandey said he would "comment only after receiving a copy of the post-mortem report."

Dudhwa now has 12 elephants in its herd. Apart from this, 11 elephants have been brought here from Karnataka, which are under training.
 

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