Killer elephant named after Osama bin Laden shot dead in northeastern India

Canadian Press ^ | 17-12-06

[jome]

GAUHATI, India (AP) - Sharpshooters in India's northeast have killed a rogue elephant blamed for 14 deaths in the region and was so feared that villagers named him after Osama bin Laden, wildlife officials said Sunday.

"Dipen Phukan, a licensed shooter, shot and killed the three-meter-tall bull near the Behali forest reserve in northern Assam," wildlife warden Chandan Bora said.

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

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 wooded evergreen jungle where it lives.

Behali is about 240 kilometres northeast of Gauhati, the state capital.

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.

© The Canadian Press 2006

[SWAMPSNIPER]

It is always about bullet placement. Some large caliber high velocity bullets don't have the edge on penetration you might expect. "Karamojo" Bell dropped more than a few with a 6.5 x 54 Mannlicher-Schoenauer, 160 grain solids. I believe that "high velocity" has been overplayed, there isn't much magic in ballistics.
Anything that makes it to the brain is equal to anything else.

[MunnaP]

Anything that makes it to the brain is equal to anything else.

That is true..In case of elephant the skull bones are pretty thick nearing 5-6 inches or more in certain angles. The bullets might not reach the brain..Also there are instances of men walking around just fine with bullets in the brain..I guess same would hold true for an elephant....