Mysuru: In a heart breaking moment, Dasara’s star elephant Gajendra killed its mahout Ganapathy, 50, on the evening of Sunday in K Gudi elephant camp in Chamaraja Nagara.

Mahout Ganapathy was associated with ‘Gajendra’ for more than 20 years.

According to sources, the testosterone fired elephant Gajendra,  accidentally killed mahout Ganapathy when he (elephant Gajendra) was chasing  another elephant Sri Rama which is also a male elephant.

Ganapathy was reportedly killed when he was intervened to control Gajendra, which had runaway into a thick forest after the incident took place in the evening.

The body of Mahout Ganapathy was taken to nearby hospital and the forest personnel team started search operation for Gajendra and Sri Rama.

 Both male elephants including Gajendra and Sri Rama were put up with a female calf elephant Durga Parameshwari in K Gudi camp. A group of three elephants was shifted from Nagarahole Camp to K Gudi camp recently.

According to veterinary expert Nagaraj, who is a specialist  taking care of Dasara Elephants in Mysuru, “Usually male elephant get aggressive once in year when Testosterone hormone varies from the normal. Such imbalances in male sexual hormone results in anger that creates an abnormal behaviour syndrome in animals.”

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