Much loved and said to be India's oldest elephant, Dakshayani also known as ¡®Gaja Muthassi¡¯ (Elephant Granny) passed away at the age of 88 in Kerala, officials said.
Dakshayani--on her way to Guinness world record--took part in temple rituals and processions for decades and the temple awarded her the title of ¡®Gaja Muthassi¡¯. She breathed her last on January 5. She had stopped eating, her veterinary surgeon said.
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AFP
"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.
Before her Lin Wang, another Asian elephant was the oldest at the age of 86 and he died in 2003 in a Taiwan zoo.
AFP
Dakshayani was having problems in moving around, her metabolism also dipped down and her eyesight also became weak in her last days. The Travancore Devaswom Board, which owned Dakshayani, said she was 88.
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"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," he added.