World Elephant Day | Meet Bijuli Prasad, the oldest living Asiatic elephant

Bijuli Prasad

Bijuli Prasad, the world's oldest Asiatic elephant, lives royally in the tea gardens of Assam.

Prasad, named so by his master Oliver Sahib from England when he was bought to work in tea estates in Assam, must be 86 years old, according to Dr Kushal Konwar Sharma, one of the 118 Padma Shri awardees announced for the year 2020, a News18 report said. 

Tuskers in the wild tend to live a shorter lifespan than in captivity, said Sharma, a professor and head at the Department of Surgery and Radiology of the College of Veterinary Science at Khanapara in Guwahati.

Prasad enjoys royal hospitality at Bihali Tea Estate of The Williamson Magor Group in Sonitpur district, Assam. The male tusker has a huge built and moves with the majestic élan in the lush green tea bushes of the estate, the report said.

Prasad was bought by the company in 1968. Prasad was involved in uprooting old tea bushes and other works, and was given a generous salary for the time. From that salary, the wages for the mahout were cut, his food and medicine paid for, and a pension started, the report added.

Now retired, Prasad continues to lead a royal life. The management has arranged two keepers for Bijuli on the company's payroll, along with doctors to check his health and weight every week. Prasad's health updates are sent to the company’s head office in Kolkata every week. As of now, Prasad weighs around 400 kg.

Speaking to News18, Rajit Baruah, an employee of Bihali Tea Estate, said: "Every day we need 25 kilograms of rice, equal portions of maize, grams, and molasses to feed Bijuli. Besides we arrange truckloads of plantain trunks gathered for the labour lines for the elephant. Every month there is an expenditure of 30-35,000 to keep our pride healthy and fit.”

Earlier, Dakshayani, an 88-year-old captive elephant in Kerala, was considered to be the oldest in India and even in Asia.