Animal linked to 11 deaths terrorized villagers across two Indian states
PATNA, India - An elephant nicknamed "Osama bin Laden" that killed at least 11 people and injured dozens has been shot dead, officials in eastern India said on Saturday.The wild male elephant had been terrorizing villagers in two states in recent months, destroying their crops and homes.
Forest officials and a police team tracked down the rogue jumbo in the eastern state of Jharkhand late on Friday, where it was shot dead, senior government official Ravi Ranjan said.
"Yes, Osama has finally been killed and it took us 20 bullets to silence him," Ranjan told Reuters from Jharkhand on Saturday.
Deadly rampage
Hundreds of villagers gathered on Saturday to catch a glimpse of the dead elephant.
On Thursday, another elephant rampaged through a village in northern India, killing at least seven people and injuring 24 others before it was killed.
The female entered the village of Bhudaheda on the edge of the Jim Corbett National Park, and began destroying crops, said Srikant Chandola, the park's chief wildlife officer. He said the animal started trampling people when residents tried to frighten it away by beating drums.
Belinda Wright, director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, said the elephant had apparently entered the village after becoming separated from its herd.
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