Indian Villagers Find and Kill Osama Bin Laden

[garric]

... the elephant.

GAUHATI, India - Hunters in India's remote northeast are tracking a rogue elephant blamed for 14 deaths in the region and named after Osama bin Laden by fearful villagers.

The order came after the bull dubbed Laden, which has twice evaded attempts to kill him, was blamed for the death of a woman Wednesday near the thickly wooden evergreen jungle where it lives.

"We have ordered a hunter to shoot and kill the 10-feet tall tuskless bull that is believed to have killed up to 14 people in the past two years," Chandan Bora, a wildlife ranger, said Friday from Bishwanath Chariali, 150 miles north of Gauhati, the capital of Assam state.

"I am looking for my target with a .400 bore rifle assisted by five forestry officials, but Laden is known to do the vanishing trick every time a hunter is put on its trail," said Dipen Phukan, one of Assam's three licensed elephant hunters.

Conflicts between humans and elephants have escalated in northeastern India in recent years as the destruction of the elephants' natural habitat has expanded, forcing them to forage for food in human areas.

In the past five years, more than 250 people have been killed in Assam by elephants, while angry villagers killed 268 elephants during the same period. Assam is estimated to have 5,300 Asiatic elephants.

"Post 9/11, villagers across Assam have started naming any elephant they suspect of bringing down their homes or feasting on crops as Laden, viewing such pachyderms as terrorists," said Kushal Konwar Sharma, an elephant expert and teacher at the College of Veterinary Science in Gauhati.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/16255147.htm?source=rss&channel=cctimes_news

And then:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061217/ap_on_re_as/india_killer_elephant_1

GAUHATI, India - A killer elephant named after Osama bin Laden by fearful villagers was killed by sharpshooters, officials said Sunday. The animal was blamed for 14 deaths in the northeastern state of Assam.

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"A licensed shooter shot and killed the 10-foot tall bull near the Behali forest reserve in northern Assam," said wildlife warden Chandan Bora.

Wildlife authorities had ordered that the elephant be shot and killed by December 31.

The order came after the bull — dubbed "Laden" — was blamed for the death of a woman Wednesday near the thickly wooded evergreen jungle where it lived. The elephant evaded two previous attempts by officials to kill it.

Confrontations between humans and elephants have escalated in northeastern India in recent years as the elephants' natural habitat has been destroyed, forcing the animals to forage for food in areas where humans live.

In the past five years, more than 250 people have been killed in Assam by elephants, while angry villagers killed 268 elephants during the same period, officials said.

Assam is estimated to have 5,300 Asiatic elephants.

 

[jprc]

I am not sure what to think about this story.
I see nothing wrong in the elephant defending what is left of its territory: reaction of a wild animal is to warn, then attack if warning is ignored. If you ever find yourself a day facing an elephant (not in a zoo...), you understand instantly that he has the power to say "go away" but only use it if you just bore him/her too much, and it is a thin red line.
This animal just found out that the boring ants with 2 legs were too intrusive and it behaved accordingly.
The villagers, especially in this region, are far far from being rich, and they have to struggle again everything including wild elephants.
Authorities seems unware of the world "reserve", and there is something wrong in having an elephant roaming and killing (elephants are not pets!...) already so many people.

My feeling is that human being are like virus: multiplying and invading all territories, never stopping "expansions"...
Sad for the animals, sad for the villagers, sad for the planet...
At least, in a place like South Africa, the elephant would be

 

[Xanikk999]

Awww you got my hopes up.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

I am not sure what to think about this story.
I see nothing wrong in the elephant defending what is left of its territory: reaction of a wild animal is to warn, then attack if warning is ignored.
This animal just found out that the boring ants with 2 legs were too intrusive and behaved accordingly.
The villagers, especially in this region, are far far from being rich, and they have to struggle again everything including wild elephants.

Hmm, interesting parallels between the two Osamas.

 

[skadistic]

Elephants and evergreens?!?!

Learn something new all the time.

 

[silver 2039]

Damn country needs better reserves and forests rangers. They shouldn't kill an endangered species. The government should make the area a nataure reserve. It would bring in tourisim to the region and the villagers would be encouraged not to kill animals.

 

[Nobody]

im all for saving animals but once its killed 14 people, its got to go.

 

[Xanikk999]

im all for saving animals but once its killed 14 people, its got to go.

Agreed. If it killed someone i cherished i would hunt the thing down myself, endangered or not.

 

[tomsnowman123]

Calling an animal a terrorist just because it's defending it's territory? I can understand anger at it killing family members, but it shouldn't come as a surprise considering the habitat destruction.

 

[xseizexthexdayx]

Calling an animal a terrorist just because it's defending it's territory? I can understand anger at it killing family members, but it shouldn't come as a surprise considering the habitat destruction.

Does that mean we should let Osama Bin Laden kill people? Should we let Osama Bin Laden live somewhere else without dealing with him?

 

[Xenocrates]

Apparently it wasn't Bin Laden; the gamekeeper erred and shot a look-a-like by accident. Hmm the parallels with 9/11 get stronger and stronger.

Seriously, it wasn't him.

 

[tomsnowman123]

Does that mean we should let Osama Bin Laden kill people? Should we let Osama Bin Laden live somewhere else without dealing with him?

This is another crusade against terrorism, and India has joined the coalition of the willing with full commitment.

 

[Trajan12]

Osama was in the wrong here. Just because he lost land doesn't mean he shoud be able to take it out on innocents who had nothing to do with it. Jungle fundementalism is never right.

 

[Xanikk999]

Osama was in the wrong here. Just because he lost land doesn't mean he shoud be able to take it out on innocents who had nothing to do with it. Jungle fundementalism is never right.

But animals are stupid. But nonetheless i would of shot him also.

 

[StarWorms]

The people are stupid. Elephants go back to the same areas. Only the people are to blame for the deaths. Elephants are not (usually) violent animals. None of us know the full story anyway... What if people were trying (naively) to get revenge on the elephant?

The same goes for the New Orleans hurricane... It's not very wise to live below sea water by the sea.

 

[Xanikk999]

The people are stupid. Elephants go back to the same areas. Only the people are to blame for the deaths.

The same goes for the New Orleans hurricane... It's not very wise to live below sea water by the sea.

Thats not very rational to say that people should not live by the sea... Maybe below the sea level. But do you suggest that cities should not be built along the sea?

All you need is proper evacuations.

 

[Thorvald of Lym]

The people are stupid. Elephants go back to the same areas. Only the people are to blame for the deaths. Elephants are not (usually) violent animals.

Agreed. It should come as no surprise that the root cause of this dilemma stems from the continued urbanization of the planet. We are forcing the wilderness into an ever-shrinking corner. Of course it will have trouble adjusting.

 

[Nuka-sama]

I thought it was the terrorist at last