After mahout’s death, Iskcon looks to shift jumbo to rehab

Kolkata: Bishnupriya, the 18-year-old female elephant at Iskcon Mayapur that killed mahout Samudra Rabha on Saturday, is likely to be shifted to a rehabilitation centre, Iskcon said on Monday. The elephant had attacked another mahout in 2022. Veterinary officers said while this was uncommon, female elephants were kn-own to display such behaviour during their estrous cycle — a set of recurring physiological changes induced by reproductive hormones. In Bishnupriya’s 2022 attack, mahout Bharat Rabha survived with disabilities. “I had told Iskcon officials then to send them (the elephants) to Jaldapara or Gorumara. I have now told them to shift the jumbos to a rehabilitation centre like Jamnagar’s Vantara. Female elephants can turn aggressive during estrous cycle — similar to what bull elephants do when they go into a periodic phase known as musth. Since there’s no question of bringing a bull elephant to the temple so that the elephants can mate, I think it’s high time to give up the jumbos,” said Padma Shri Kushal Konwar Sarma, a veterinarian from Assam, who used to visit Iskcon Mayapur to check the jumbos.Iskcon Kolkata vice-president Radharaman Das said: “I heard Bishnupriya had shown such aggression earlier too. We have decided to shift it to a rehabilitation centre. We will take a call on the other jumbo, Lakshmipriya, after having a word with the forest department.” Chief wildlife warden Debal Roy, however, said they hadn’t received any communication from Iskcon.Shubhobroto Ghosh of NGO World Animal Protection said: “We implore the forest department of Bengal to take cognizance of this unfortunate incident and look into rehabilitating the Iskcon temple elephants to a protected forest area within Bengal.”

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