Sambalpur: A captive elephant named ‘Kharsel’ died of old age-related ailments in Debrigarh sanctuary under Hirakud Wildlife Division in this district. Forest department officials informed that the 65-year-old jumbo being treated by a veterinarian from Burla breathed his last at 4pm, Monday afternoon. Kharsel, which was in captivity for many years, died due to old age, informed Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Anshu Pragyan Das. The elephant’s last rites were conducted in the presence of mahout Hemachandra Bhue, staff, veterinarian, caretakers and local villagers. ‘Kharsel’ was buried under a tree at the spot where he used to reside within the Debrigarh sanctuary.
A memorial plaque is set to be installed on the burial ground. It is pertinent to mention that the elephant was tranquillised and brought to Debrigarh from Bolangir’s Kharsel jungle in 1998 after it attacked and killed several people. Kharsel had been wreaking havoc in Bolangir area attacking numerous people, damaging crops, and destroying hundreds of houses. The Forest department faced significant challenges in taming the unruly pachyderm. After capture, he was kept under quarantine for a few days by the Forest department.
Later, after he calmed down, he was released in the forest under the supervision of mahout Bhue. The jumbo had made several unsuccessful attempts to escape from here between 2005 and 2009. After 2018-19, he used to freely roam within the sanctuary. However, in the past 5-6 months, his vision had faded and his movements slowed due to old age. His food intake also decreased. Owing to the serious health condition of ‘Kharsel’, medication for age-related issues was started August 24 by veterinarians under the consultation of Dr Indramani Nath from Centre of Wildlife Studies, Bhubaneswar