A killer elephant named Osama bin Laden that is thought to be responsible for the deaths of at least fourteen people in India has been shot dead. 'Osama' had reportedly trampled 14 people to death in the past six months in the north-eastern state, the BBC reported.
He was given his name by villagers in Assam's eastern district of Sonitpur. Reuters is reporting that a forestry official said on Sunday "Osama" had been shot dead on Saturday in a tea plantation on the outskirts of Behali town, about 140 km (90 miles) north of Guwahati, Assam's main city.
"The elephant was killed after villagers identified him," a senior forestry official said, adding the animal could be identified because it had no tusks.
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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, according to the Associated Press,
Wildlife authorities had ordered that the elephant be shot and killed by December 31.
The wire service notes in an online report that 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.
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Assam is estimated to have 5,300 Asiatic elephants.
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