Sixty four-year-old Arjuna, the elephant that carried the golden howdah during the Dasara procession, died in a fight with a wild elephant during the elephant capture operation near Yeslur in Sakleshpur on Monday.
The Forest Department had been conducting the operation to capture troublesome tuskers in the Sakleshpur, Alur, Belur and Yeslur ranges of Hassan. During the operation, a wild tusker attacked Arjuna, who succumbed to injuries he suffered in the stomach, according to preliminary reports. The incident has forced the department to stop the operation.
