Ninety-year-old Indira, the eldest member of the Sakrebail elephant camp near here, died following age-related illnesses on Monday.
The elephant was caught in a khedda operation in 1968 in the forest near Kakanakote and was brought to Sakrebail the same year. Vinay S., senior veterinary officer, Department of Forest and Wildlife, said the elephant had become senile. Apart from malfunctioning of the digestive system, it was suffering from visual impairment, arthritis and respiratory distress.
As the elephant had lost its teeth owing to old age, it was being given cooked food for the past three months. About 10 days ago, the elephant stopped consuming food and vets had to give it fluids and medicines intravenously.
On Monday morning, the elephant died inside the Shettyhalli wildlife sanctuary. After the autopsy, it was cremated.
With the demise of Indira, the total number of elephants in the camp has been reduced to 22 — 12 males and 10 females.