Behind Marthanda’s death: 7 deep wounds, 70-litre blood loss, deep trauma

Bengaluru: The violent clash between two elephants at Dubare elephant camp in Kodagu lasted a few minutes Monday. However, for 53-year-old makhna (no-tusk) elephant Marthanda, the aftermath was an agonising battle that ended in death within 24 hours. The incident triggered panic at the camp and left even seasoned handlers shaken.As chaos unfolded along the banks of Cauvery river, foresters and camp personnel rushed to pull the severely injured elephant out of the water. Bleeding from multiple stab wounds, Marthanda staggered as officials struggled to move him to safety.While the official postmortem report is awaited, preliminary findings indicate Marthanda died of severe thoracic and abdominal trauma resulting in massive internal haemorrhage and hypovolaemic (low volume of blood) shock.Officials said the muddy and turbid waters had turned dark red from the profuse bleeding suffered by Marthanda and also from the woman tourist trapped underneath the collapsed elephant.Dragging the jumbo to safer ground, veterinarians began emergency treatment. By night, Marthanda’s condition deteriorated. Foresters thought the elephant had three injuries. On close examination, they discovered seven deep stab wounds, besides severe injuries to the ears, reproductive organs, and lower abdomen.According to veterinarians, elephants carry blood volume equivalent to 10% of their body weight. Forest minister Eshwar Khandre said Marthanda, weighing 4,500kg, is estimated to have had 350 litres of blood in his body. Veterinarians estimated the jumbo lost nearly 70 to 75 litres of blood — close to 20%.Officials said veterinarians who first assessed Marthanda warned his chances of survival were “50:50” and sought 24 hours to understand the extent of internal trauma. “The wounds were so deep veterinarians could insert their entire arm inside. Some injuries measured 4-5ft in depth,” a junior forest officer said.According to officials, one of the deep abdominal wounds had ruptured portions of the intestine, besides severely damaging the bladder and stomach, resulting in massive haemorrhage. “Until early Tuesday, Marthanda could stand. By 8am, he collapsed and died within hours,” an officer from Kodagu said.Officials said veterinarians continued administering fluids and antibiotics through the night. Even experienced forest staff described Marthanda’s final hours as deeply distressing. For many personnel at Dubare, the tragedy was not merely the death of a camp elephant, but the haunting sight of a giant animal enduring pain through an entire night before succumbing to shock and internal bleeding.The paddy raiderMarthanda was once one of Karnataka’s most infamous conflict elephants, feared across Hassan district as the “paddy raider.” Much like Kerala’s famed rice-loving tusker Arikomban, Marthanda was known for raiding villages in Sakleshpur taluk, breaking open doors and windows of houses in search of stored paddy and grain.The 4,500kg jumbo was first captured near Karegarje in Belur taluk of Hassan on June 29, 2022, following repeated incidents of crop raiding and human-animal conflict. After being fitted with a radio collar, the jumbo was released into Bandipur forests. But within weeks, Marthanda travelled hundreds of kilometres back to Hassan and resumed raiding villages.He was captured again on May 19, 2023, near a coffee plantation at Ossur in Sakleshpur taluk, and later trained at Dubare camp.