NEW DELHI, December 17 (RIA Novosti) - Asia's tallest elephant died, aged 51, on his way to take part in a temple festival in Kerala, southwestern India, the Times of India said on Monday.
The Indian elephant, named Nanu Eezhuthassan Sivasankaran, was so tall at 10.6 feet that his trunk did not touch the ground. He was a favorite for ceremonial occasions in the district of Pakkalad.
At the weekend he became weak and collapsed, he was transported to his home by bulldozer, but all efforts by his owner and the local vet to revive the animal were in vain and he died several hours later.
In early December it was reported that another jumbo 70-year-old Raja Gaj, who at 3.5 meter (11.3 feet)-tall was believed to be the world's largest wild Asian elephant, went missing from a sanctuary in Nepal and has not been seen since.
