A warrior of the wild and custodian of a tradition

From taming wild elephants in conflict situations in Central India and Karnataka to leading the Jamboo Savari on Vijayadashami, tusker Abhimanyu has etched his name in history—as both a warrior of the wild and a regal bearer of Mysuru’s tradition.

Aged 59, this may have been the last Dasara of Abhimanyu though a final call will be taken by authorities in due course.

As a regular in Mysuru Dasara for decades, Abhimanyu is known to the present generation as the mighty tusker that has carried the golden howdah since 2020 during the Jamboo Savari.

Taming ‘rogues’

But not many are aware of his impeccable credentials of taming the ‘rogue elephants’ in their den in Central India. The late 1980s and early 1990s were years of torment for villagers around Sarguja in the undivided Madhya Pradesh and the present Chattisgarh State.

Scores of elephants had migrated from adjoining Bihar to Sarguja in search of fodder following unbridled deforestation due to rampant mining, and these wild elephants wreaked havoc in the tribal region.

B.C. Chittiappa, a wildlife veterinarian of the Karnataka Forest Department, recalled that to address the crisis, it was to Karnataka that the authorities in Madhya Pradesh turned to, and the first choice was on the trusted elephants – Abhimanyu, Srirama, Gajendra, and Arjuna among others.

It was a mission considered impossible to capture the herd of nearly 22 elephants that were wreaking havoc. Dr. Chittiappa, who led the operations in Central India recalled that they travelled for five days in a truck and arrived at the conflict zone.

For 42 days, Dr. Chittiappa and his team combed the jungles in an operation in which Abhimanyu and the rest tracked the elephants and subdued the ‘rogues’ in their den.

What was perceived to be a mission impossible was done and dusted, and it was mission accomplished in six weeks. The so-called rogue elephants were captured and put in a kraal for training and taming, recalled Dr. Chittiappa.

Captured on film

The entire exercise was captured on film by Mike Pandey and The Last Migration: Elephants of Sarguja, which highlighted human-elephant conflict, went on to win the prestigious Panda award, which is reckoned to be the ‘Green Oscar’. As Abhimanyu played a key role in subduing the elephants, he qualifies to be called as an ‘oscar star’ in his own right.

Captured in 1970 in Kodagu, Abhimanyu is the alpha charger and the main stay of the Karnataka Forest Department in its combing operations. Abhimanyu’s exploits are well-documented in the State and it is reckoned that he has helped capture 150 elephants and about 40 to 50 tigers in the wild so far.

Of grace and grit

Elephants are reckoned to be a blend of grace and grit. And Abhimanyu personifies these elements when displaying raw power and controlled aggression in the jungles, or when personifying poise and discipline during the Jamboo Savari.