Guwahati: An era in the conservation history of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) came to a close with the death of Joymala, the reserve’s legendary patrol elephant whose 34 years of service made her one of the most recognisable symbols of its anti-poaching and wildlife protection efforts. The 66-year-old elephant, honoured with a ceremonial guard of honour after her death, had become a silent yet steadfast guardian of the UNESCO World Heritage site.
Born in 1960, Joymala joined Kaziranga’s elephant patrol unit in 1992 and spent more than three decades assisting frontline forest staff in anti-poaching operations, wildlife monitoring, rescue missions and routine forest patrols across the park’s difficult terrain.
Forest officials said Joymala had been under continuous veterinary care for nearly a year before she died on Saturday night at Naloni under the Agoratoli Range.
In recognition of her decades of service, Kaziranga forest personnel accorded her a ceremonial guard of honour before performing her last rites, a rare tribute reflecting the indispensable role patrol elephants play in protecting the park’s wildlife.
Joymala shot to international fame in 2004 when a dramatic photograph captured a tiger leaping over her during a jungle patrol. The image became one of Kaziranga’s most iconic wildlife photographs and highlighted the courage of the park’s patrol elephants and their mahouts during anti-poaching operations.
For much of her service, Joymala was cared for by veteran mahout Satyaban Pegu, with whom she shared a close bond. In recent years, she was looked after by mahout Nilakhanta Koch.
Forest officials described her as one of the silent pillars of Kaziranga’s conservation success, noting that patrol elephants remain indispensable to anti-poaching operations, especially in areas inaccessible to vehicles during floods and dense vegetation.
Joymala is survived by several of her offspring, who continue to serve as patrol elephants in Kaziranga, carrying forward the family’s contribution to protecting one of India’s most celebrated wildlife landscapes. Her death marks the end of an era for Kaziranga’s elephant patrol force and a legacy of courage and service that will endure for generations.