Killer elephant named after Osama bin Laden gets a job patrolling parks, renamed ‘Krishna’

The male elephant, dubbed “Laden” by frightened villagers in the northeastern state of Assam, was tracked for days by forestry officials and tranquillised on Monday after its deadly rampage through Goalpara district in late October.

Officials planned to release “Laden” back into the wild, but now hope to teach it to patrol wildlife parks and sanctuaries in the state.

“The elephant is doing fine. If possible we would try to turn it into a captive elephant by training it,” Assam’s Forest Minister Parimal Shuklabaidya said.

An official said that because the elephant was caught on Monday, an auspicious day when Krishna performed a “dance of divine love”, he should be named after the deity.

“Since it is tranquillised and is likely to be captive, it deserves a better name for everyone to know it,” the official added.