Arjuna, a 63-year-old elephant of Dasara fame, died in Sakaleshpur during a Forest Department operation to capture troublesome elephants.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Sixty three-year-old Arjuna, the elephant that carried the golden howdah during the Dasara procession, died in a fight with a wild elephant during the elephant capture operation near Yeslur in Sakaleshpur on Monday.
The Forest Department had been conducting the operation to capture troublesome tuskers in the Sakaleshpur, Alur, Belur and Yeslur ranges of Hassan. During the operation, a wild tusker attacked Arjuna, who succumbed to injuries he suffered in the stomach, according to preliminary reports. The incident has forced the department to stop the operation.
Arjuna, the showstopper at the Mysuru Dasara procession in 2019, leading the procession with a 750 kg golden howdah on his back. File Photo
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu
Arjuna carried the 750-kg howdah during the Dasara procession eight times until 2019, when he turned 60. Besides that, the animal participated in many elephant capture operations.
