He has injuries on his leg. The water probably gives him relief as he does not have to put too much weight on his legs ( due to the buoyancy factor ). There is a belief , among the old Assamese mahouts ( I heard it from them ), that when old tuskers are dying they come to the river to die. Do not know how much of it is true but since observing this tusker I am beginning to believe that if possible they will head for rivers as being in the water seems to give them some kind of relief.Personally I feel that this tusker may not survive which is a pity because as I mentioned earlier I have a soft spot for him , having known him for quite a few years now. This again gives rise to the question - should we interfere in National Parks or let nature take its course ?