Expedition News: In Search of Raja Gaj
Posted by: Loren Coleman on June 13th, 2010
The Giant Elephant Quest: In Search of “Lost” Raja Gaj.
The giant elephants of West Nepal were a legend until in 1992 a Scientific Exploration Society expedition discovered two of these enormous beasts living in the Bardia Park in a remote corner of this Himalayan kingdom. The largest tusker, estimated at 11 feet 3 inches at his shoulder and probably weighing up to 8 tons, was named Raja Gaj or King Elephant….For ten years Colonel John Blashford-Snell (JBS) and SES teams studied Raja Gaj and found a herd of up to 50 including cows and calves….In January JBS and a team of enthusiasts from the SES returned to Bardia to seek evidence that the King Elephant, who would now be about 64, is there….
The expedition, organized by the British Travel Company Steppes Discovery and approved by the Scientific Exploration Society, took place from 27th Feb 2010 – 13th Mar 2010 (Duration: 14 days). They found that Raja Gaj had died, but other intriguing encounters occurred. The results can be viewed here.
Thanks to Markus Hemmler for the heads up on this.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
I heard some time back that this magnificent bull had died. Maybe it was just a rumour. I dont know
2007 it was said that no sighting occured since one year. Since then RG has moved back again to be a “cryptid”. According to SES there was a sighting in 2008 (according to the link above) and one in 2009 (according to a press release from 8th June 2009 of the SES). So it was (and without a dead corpse still is) not sure if RG is alive or not. But in view of the political problems and the poaching and the time which has gone he probably is dead I think.