Osama bin Laden (elephant)
Rogue bull elephant in India
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Related on Lably
Through Elephant, Assam and Habitat destruction
Attacks
Osama bin Laden was a rogue bull elephant active in the Indian state of Assam, in the vicinity of Behali, near Tezpur. The state capital, Guwahati, is 240 kilometres (150 mi) southwest of Behali. The province has an estimated population of 5,300 Asiatic elephants.
Named after the militant leader Osama bin Laden, at the time of the attacks, the elephant was thought to be between 45 and 50 years old. He measured between 2.7 and 3.4 metres (9 and 11 ft) tall. He was given the status of a "rogue" elephant in the summer of 2006 after his death toll reached double-digit figures. He was said to not fear fire or firecrackers. During his attacks, he killed 27 people in the state of Assam, including 14 during the six months preceding his death.
Expansion of human activities and destruction of elephants' natural habitat has resulted in elephants foraging for food where humans are situated. From 2001 to 2006 in Assam, more than 250 people were killed by elephants; villagers killed 268 elephants, mainly by poisoning.
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Death
Indian officials issued a "shoot to kill" directive for Osama bin Laden in mid-December 2006, with a deadline of the end of the month. On 18 December, it was announced that the elephant had been tracked to a tea plantation near Behali, a town 140 kilometres (90 mi) north-west of Guwahati. Local villagers used drums and fire to trap the elephant in the corner of the plantation. He was approached by hunter Dipen Ram Phookun; however, once the elephant realised what was about to happen he charged the hunter, who killed him as he rapidly approached. Phookun said, "It was charging towards me and I kept firing. Another few yards and it would have run over me." It had been identified as Osama bin Laden because it had no tusks.
However, officials were concerned that it was not the right elephant, with the death taking place a considerable distance – 80 kilometres (50 mi) – from where he had been seen previously. Forestry officials were accused of killing an innocent elephant, while conservation groups were concerned about the possibility of revenge attacks by other elephants of the same herd.
Other elephants
After the September 11 attacks in the United States, villagers in Assam started calling elephants which damaged their crops or homes Osama bin Laden, viewing them as terrorists. In 2008, another elephant also named "Osama bin Laden" – that caused more than 11 fatalities and dozens of injuries – was shot dead in Jharkhand. Another, known as "Laden", killed 5 people before being caught and dying in captivity in 2019.