Drunken elephants electrocted

aus ^ | January 20, 2004 | From correspondents in Guwahati

[dennisw]

Drunken elephants electrocted From correspondents in Guwahati January 20, 2004

FOUR wild elephants who ran amok after getting drunk on rice beer were electrocuted in India's northeastern state of Meghalaya when they brought down power lines, an official said Tuesday.

The herd went on the rampage on Sunday night after storming into villages and drinking from open casks of beer in a remote area in Meghalaya's West Garo Hills district.

"The elephants after getting high on rice beer, went berserk and started dashing against an electric pole," the forest official said.

"A live high tension wire fell on the herd leading to the deaths of four elephants instantly," he said.

The casualties could have been higher but the herd of about 20 elephants moved away from the site sensing danger.

Wild elephants have been targeting areas in Meghalaya and the adjoining state of Assam where people brew large volumes of rice beer and have been causing large-scale devastation in remote areas in the two states.

"A depleting forest cover and encroachment of elephant corridors have forced the pachyderms to stray out of their habitats," Assam Forest Minister Pradyut Bordoloi said.

In the last two years, elephants have killed at least 180 people in Assam and Meghalaya. Angry villagers in turn have killed up to 200 of the animals.

The last elephant census in 1999 recorded 7,200 wild elephants in Assam and Meghalaya, more than half of India's count of 10,000.

Agence France-Presse

[Spok]

The moral is if you drink, don't rampage.

[jokar]

Here hold mah beer while I check if this line is hot.

[Consort]

Quadrupeds and booze don't mix.

[camle]

geez doncha just HATE it when that happens? now who's gonna pay fer them beers???

[BlueLancer]

Pink elephants on the table.
Pink elephants on the chair.
Pink elephants on the ceiling,
Pink elephants ev'rywhere.
Now I'm through making whoopee,
I raised my hand and swore
That I never intend to see
Those pink elephants any more.

[Kenton]

"The elephants after getting high on rice beer, went berserk and started dashing against an electric pole," the forest official said.

Yeah, like we haven't all done that before...

[b4its2late]

Darwin lives in elephants too!

[scooter2]

Redneck Elephants?

[martin_fierro]

I was electrocted once.

It resulted in a series condition.

[ruoflaw]

death by drunken misadventure

[ruoflaw]

Shocking!

[weegee]

just damn.

[jwalburg]

[JustPlainJoe]

Friends don't let Elephant friends drink and rampage.

[boris]

As I am fond of reporting, when I was young I read an artice in the Baltimore Sun: "Tipsy Elephant Goes Berserk; Electrocutes Five."

A wedding procession in India. Several people riding an elephant and giving it frequent swigs of wine. Elephants being notorious for being unable to hold their liquor, it goes nuts and charges a high-tension power tower, dislodging a wire, which falls upon the revelers.

True story, only about 35 years ago.

--Boris

[boris]

"artice" == article

[Jeff Chandler]

MADE: Mothers Against Drunk Elephants

[Jeff Chandler]

They need a six day waiting period for drunken elephants.

[Jeff Chandler]

They'll have to change Stampy's name to Sparky.