UpdateBot at 03:35, 16 May 2022

2022-05-16T03:35:04Z

New page

{{short description|Oldest known elephant in captivity}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox animal
| name = Chengalloor Dakshayani
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| species = ''[[Elephas maximus]]'' (Asian Elephant)
| breed =
| gender = Female
| birth_date = {{circa|1930}}
| birth_place = [[Kerala]], [[British Raj]]
| death_date = 5 February 2019
| death_place = [[Pappanamcode]]
| resting_place =
| resting_place_coordinates =
| relativeage =
| nationality = India
| occupation =
| employer =
| years_active =
| known =Oldest known elephant in captivity
| predecessor =
| successor =
| owner = [[Devaswom boards in Kerala|Travancore Devaswom Board]]
| weight =
| height = {{height|m=|precision=}}
| namedafter =
| website =
}}
'''Chengalloor Dakshayani''' (''c.''1930 - 5 February 2019) was a female [[Asian elephant]] owned by [[Travancore Devaswom Board]] and kept at the Chenkalloor Mahadeva Temple in [[Thiruvananthapuram]] in [[Kerala]], India, which at the time of her death on 5 February 2019 was believed to be the oldest elephant in captivity in Asia. She was also known as Gaja Raja Dakshayani and as "Dakshayanamma" (mother Dakshayani) and "Gaja Muthassi" (elephant grandmother).

== Life ==

The [[Travancore royal family]] bought the elephant calf at Kodanad elephant camp near [[Ernakulam]], and donated her to their Thiruvarattu Kavu temple at [[Attingal]] in 1949,<ref name=refuses>{{cite news |author=Cithara Paul |url=https://www.theweek.in/content/archival/news/india/the-eighty-six-year-old-who-refuses-to-retire.html |title=The 86-year old Guinness record holder who refuses to retire |newspaper=The Week |date=4 April 2017 }}</ref> when she was 19 years old;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elephantcountry.org/news/worlds-oldest-elephant-dakshayani-kerala-temples-pride |title=World's Oldest Elephant Dakshayani Is A Kerala Temple's Pride |publisher=Asian Elephant Secretariat |date=13 October 2016 }}</ref><ref name=Minute>{{cite news |author=Sreedevi Jayarajan |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/granny-dakshayini-asia-s-oldest-captive-elephant-kerala-passes-away-96274 |title='Granny Dakshayini', Asia's oldest captive elephant from Kerala passes away |website=The News Minute |date=6 February 2019 }}</ref> she was transferred to the Chenkalloor Mahadeva Temple in the late 1960s. The State Forest Department registered her age as 76 on 18 July 2007.<ref name=Meet>{{cite news |author=M. S. Vidyanandan |url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2016/apr/25/Meet-Dakshayani---Worlds-Oldest-Elephant-in-Captivity-928692.html |title=Meet Dakshayani - World's Oldest Elephant in Captivity |newspaper=New Indian Express |date=25 April 2016 }}</ref><ref name=Hindu>{{cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/dakshayani-oldest-asian-elephant-dies/article26188163.ece |title=Dakshayani, oldest Asian elephant, dies |newspaper=The Hindu |date=6 February 2019 }}</ref> In 2016, when she became the oldest known elephant in Asia,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg_BwNdemeE |title=Dakshayani becomes the eldest elephant in Asia |publisher=Manorama News |website=YouTube |type=video, 1 min 12 secs |language=Malayalam |date=27 July 2016 }}</ref> the Board applied to [[Guinness World Records]] to have her recorded as the oldest elephant in captivity, a record previously held by [[Lin Wang]] of the [[Taipei Zoo]], who died in 2003 at the age of 86.<ref name=yet>{{cite news |author=Revathi Rajeevan |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/at-86-worlds-oldest-captive-elephant-is-yet-to-retire-331740-2016-07-27 |title=At 86, world's oldest captive elephant is yet to retire |newspaper=India Today |date=27 July 2016 }}</ref><ref name=Kaumudi>{{cite news |url=http://www.keralakaumudi.com/en/news/kerala/general/gaja-raja-mutthashi-dhakshayani-breathes-her-last-at-89-46729 |title=Gaja Raja Mutthashi Dhakshayani breathes her last at 89 |website=Kaumudi |date=5 February 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Rana Das |url=https://english.kolkata24x7.com/86-elephant-dakshayani-enter-guinness-world-records.html/ |title=At 86, Elephant 'Dakshayani' To Enter Guinness World Records |website=Kolkata 24x7 |date=25 July 2016 }}</ref> The Universal Records Forum, based in [[Kolkata]], certified her as the oldest elephant in captivity;<ref>{{cite news |url=https://photogallery.indiatimes.com/news/india/kerala-granny-jumbo-eyes-world-record/articleshow/53430946.cms |title=Kerala 'granny' jumbo eyes world record |newspaper=India Times |date=28 July 2016 }}</ref> by some accounts she was certified the record holder by Guinness and a [[postal cover]] was issued to celebrate the event.<ref name=Tribune>{{cite news |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/asia-s-oldest-captive-elephant-dakshayani-dies-at-88/724937.html |title=Asia's oldest captive elephant Dakshayani dies at 88 |newspaper=The Tribune |date=6 February 2019 }}</ref> The temple also prepared to give her a larger enclosure where she would not be chained.<ref>{{cite news |author=M. S. Vidyanandan |url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2016/dec/11/at-86-granny-dakshayani-to-get-a-chain-free-spacious-enclosure-1547806.html |title=At 86, granny Dakshayani to get a chain-free spacious enclosure |newspaper=New Indian Express |date=11 December 2016 }}</ref>

Chengalloor Dakshayani was still participating in temple rituals in 2017, but her parading was restricted after 2015.<ref name=refuses/><ref name=yet/> There were complaints that it was cruel not to retire her.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/86-year-old-dakshayani-oldest-captive-elephant-should-she-be-allowed-retire-47233 |title=86-year-old Dakshayani is oldest captive elephant, should she be allowed to retire? |website=The News Minute |date=28 July 2016 }}</ref> In her last years she had trouble moving and her food was supplemented by hand feeding of pineapples and carrots. She died at around 3 p.m. on 5 February 2019, after collapsing in her shelter in a care facility in [[Pappanamcode]];<ref name=Tribune/><ref name=NDTV>{{cite news |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/dakshayani-indias-oldest-captive-granny-elephant-dies-at-88-in-kerala-1989913 |title=India's Oldest Captive 'Granny' Elephant Dies At 88 |publisher=NDTV |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=7 February 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.mathrubhumi.com/print-edition/kerala/dakshayani-oldest-asian-elephant-dies-1.3545509 |title=ഗജരാജമുത്തശ്ശി ദാക്ഷായണി ഇനി ഓർമ |website=Mathrubhumi |date=6 February 2019 |language=Malayalam }}</ref> she was 87,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://scroll.in/latest/912243/kerala-asias-oldest-elephant-dakshayani-dies-in-shelter-home-at-87 |title=Kerala: Asia’s oldest elephant Dakshayani dies in shelter home at 87|website=Scroll India |date=6 February 2019 }}</ref> 88<ref name=Hindu/><ref name=NDTV/><ref name=BBC>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-47161030 |title='Oldest known elephant in captivity' dies at 88 in India |publisher=BBC News |date=7 February 2019 }}</ref> or 89.<ref name=Kaumudi/>

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[https://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=16526 Chenkalloor Dakshayani at Chengannur Mahadevar Temple] at Elephant Database

[[Category:1930 animal births]]
[[Category:2019 animal deaths]]
[[Category:Individual elephants]]
[[Category:Elephants in Indian culture]]
[[Category:Elephants in Kerala]]
[[Category:Individual animals in India]]
[[Category:Elephants in Hinduism]]

Chengalloor Dakshayani - Revision history

UpdateBot at 03:35, 16 May 2022