Kaziranga’s legendary patrol elephant Joymala, who once faced down a tiger, dies at 66 after 34 years of service. Read her story.
Joymala, one of Kaziranga National Park’s most celebrated patrol elephants, died on Saturday night after a prolonged illness. She was 66.
Forest officials held a ceremonial guard of honour for her on Sunday at the Naloni area under the Agoratoli Range. The park had treated her for illness for nearly a year before her death.
Joymala became known across India in 2004, when she faced down a tigress during a routine patrol near Kaziranga’s boundary. The tigress had been killing cattle in a nearby village, and a forest team set out to track her.
According to a record kept by the Wildlife Trust of India, the tigress leapt toward Joymala’s head while the elephant carried a range officer, a veterinarian, a guard, and her mahout, Satyaban Pegu. The tigress swiped at Pegu and injured him, but Joymala stepped back and avoided the attack. As the tigress hit the ground, Joymala tried to pin her down with a foot before the animal broke free and fled.
Pegu lost three fingers in the encounter and never worked as a mahout again. The episode was filmed by then divisional forest officer R.K. Das, who was riding a nearby elephant, and the footage spread widely.
Decades of Service
Joymala joined Kaziranga’s patrol force in 1992. Over the next 34 years, under the care of her later mahout, Nilakhanta Koch, she took part in anti-poaching patrols, wildlife monitoring, rescue operations, and routine forest duties across the park’s swamps, grasslands, and flood-prone terrain.
Elephants typically retire from active duty after age 60, but Joymala remained at the camp past that milestone. Arun Vignesh, the park’s divisional forest officer, said she took on a different role in her later years.
“She was in the camp post-retirement and was a motherly figure for younger calves,” Vignesh said. “At least three of her own calves are currently patrol elephants in the national park.”
Assam Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah called Joymala one of Kaziranga’s greatest guardians and said her contribution to wildlife conservation would always be remembered. He said patrol elephants like her have played an essential role in protecting the park’s biodiversity, working alongside forest staff through floods and dense terrain.
A statement from Kaziranga National Park said her story reflects a broader truth about the park’s success. “Joymala’s life is a reminder that the story of Kaziranga’s conservation success is written not only by its dedicated forest staff but also by its patrol elephants,” the statement said. “These gentle giants are the voiceless warriors of Kaziranga, standing steadfast beside the foot soldiers of the forest through floods, difficult terrain, and countless conservation challenges.”
A Legacy That Continues
Joymala’s offspring now carry on her work. Several of her calves serve as patrol elephants in Kaziranga today, continuing the anti-poaching and rescue duties she performed for more than three decades.
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