‘Moorthy’, one of themost famous elephants of Mudumalai’s Theppakadu elephant camp , died on October 14. Moorthy leaves behind a transformational legacy that champions the powers of rehabilitation.
A makhna (tuskless male) elephant, Moorthy is believed to have killed 23 people in Kerala and was to be shot and killed by the Kerala forest department. However, in 1998 he ventured into the forests of Tamil Nadu, where he was captured and brought to the Theppakadu Elephant Camp. His injuries were treated by forest veterinarian, Dr. Krishnamoorthy, after whom he was eventually named.
Moorthy was then trained to become one of the “kumki” elephants who aid in operations against wild elephants. He quickly became one of the most docile and dependable elephants at the camp, assisting the Forest Department in multiple operations to mitigate negative human-elephant interactions, though he himself carried scars from bullet injuries.
, Moorthy retired in 2022. He died on October 14, 2023 of age-related conditions.
