Mysuru Dasara elephant Ashwatthama dies of electrocution in Nagarhole Tiger Reserve
This is the second Dasara elephant to die in a year, the first being Arjuna, which died during an operation to capture a wild elephant in December 2023.
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"Ashwatthama's memory will remain forever in our hearts," wrote CM Siddaramaiah on X. (Photo/X/@siddaramaiah)An elephant that was part of the historic Mysuru Dasara celebrations died of electrocution near Karnataka’s Nagarahole Tiger Reserve on Tuesday.
The 38-year old pachyderm, Ashwatthama, came in contact with a live wire connected to a solar fence near the Bhimanakatte Elephant Camp, located in the tiger reserve, according to sources. The elephant was headed to the forest in search of food.
Ashwatthama was part of Dasara events in 2021 and 2022. While Ashwatthama took part in the famous Jamboo Savari in 2021, it was among the Dasara elephants not picked for the final parade in 2022. It was among the youngest elephants to be part of the grand event.
The elephant was captured in Hassan district’s Sakleshpur taluk in 2017.
This is the second Dasara elephant to die in a year. Arjuna, a 64-year-old elephant that had participated in the Dasara procession 22 times, died in the first week of December 2023 during an operation to capture a wild elephant that had terrorised locals and killed a farmer near Sakleshpur.
Arjuna had carried the golden howdah (a carrier mounted on elephants) during Dasara celebrations for eight consecutive years between 2012 and 2019. It suffered injuries in the stomach after the wild elephant charged at him during the capture operation.
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