'Rogue' elephant shot dead in India

A 'rogue' elephant, thought to be responsible for the deaths of 14 people in the last six months, was shot dead yesterday in India's Assam region, according to reports.

The elephant ? named Laden after the al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden ? was cornered by villagers on a tea estate and shot dead by a hunter.

A shoot-to-kill order was announced for Laden after the death of a woman on Wednesday and professional hunters prepared to capture the elephant.

MC Malakar, the area's wildlife chief, told the BBC: "As the villagers did their bit to scare the rogue tusker, our forest guards kept firing in the air to drive Laden towards the trap hunter Dwipen Phukan had set for it.

"But it was no easy kill because once in sight of Phukan, the elephant charged furiously."

The hunter had to shoot the elephant a number of times before it hit the floor, just yards away from the where he was standing.

Elephants are branded rogues after a series of violent deaths are reported. In Laden's case this came when the number of deaths arrived at double figures.

Siamese elephants are common in the district, with a corridor stretching from Thailand to Bhutan situated close by to villages.