Theppakadu elephant camp tusker ‘soft-hearted’ Santhosh dies

UDHAGAMANDALAM: A 55-year-old tusker died in the Theppakadu elephant camp in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the early hours of Wednesday. Known as the ‘soft-hearted’ Santhosh, the tusker died due to illness.

Santhosh had been ailing for some time. On Tuesday, he became inactive. Despite treatment by the forest veterinarian, the tusker died around 1.30am. Preliminary postmortem report suggested that the internal organs of the jumbo were weak and damaged. Samples of the vital parts were collected for lab tests.

Born to camp elephant Rukmani and Wild Bull at the camp on Aug 15, 1971, the tusker was sent to Thanjavur Big Temple in 1973. After serving five years in the temple, he returned to Theppakadu in 1978.

According to forest officials, Santhosh had the longest tusks recorded among camp elephants in the country. This made Santhosh a very special specimen among his counterparts. While tusks usually grow very slowly, those of Santhosh grew at an exceptional rate of about 4-6 inches every year. To avoid discomfort, his fast-growing tusks were trimmed several times.

“Long tusks are a phenomenal feature in Asian elephants belonging to this region. But over time, it has become a rarity due to selective culling in the past”, said a forest official.

Santhosh, despite his formidable tusks and height, was often seen backing away from fights, even with much smaller elephants. Thus, he earned the title ‘soft-hearted.’

Santhosh used to be employed for timber loading operations in Kargudi and Thorapalli areas in MTR. He broke his leg in his younger days. Though it was completely healed, he was not given any work since then.

The Theppakadu elephant camp has 26 tamed elephants now.