February 7,
2019
An Asian
elephant believed to be the oldest ever in captivity has died aged 88 in the
southern Indian state of Kerala, officials said Thursday.
Awarded the
title of "Gaja Muthassi" (elephant granny), Dakshayani took part in
temple rituals and processions for decades, but breathed her last on Tuesday
after becoming reluctant to eat, her veterinary surgeon said.
"At 3
pm, a sudden shiver passed through her large frame beginning from the head
region. After a few minutes she bent her forelimbs and lay down. And that was
it," T. Rajeev told AFP.
The
Travancore Devaswom Board, which owned Dakshayani, gave her age as 88.
The oldest
elephant in captivity recognised by Guinness World Records was aged 86—Lin
Wang, another Asian elephant which died in 2003 in a Taiwan zoo. Captive
elephants have a life expectancy of 40-plus years.
Pineapples
and carrots had been introduced to Dakshayani's diet in recent years to improve
her metabolism after she began to have difficulty moving around, probably due
to reduced eyesight.
"For
the past three years she did not take part in any temple programme or public
function," Rajeev said.
"And a
couple of months back, we had even moved her to a better tethering place at an
elephant farm in Thiruvananthapuram."
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