J.A. Getzlaff A s legions of wanderers will attest, travel to India has its substantial rewards. In late October of 1999, according to Associated Press and Reuters reports, a herd of renegade elephants terrorized the village of Prajapatibosti in the northeastern state of Assam.
Environmentalists blame the incidents on the elephants' ever-shrinking natural habitat.
Some citizens, however, feel the elephants themselves are to blame. In 1997, after 23 people in the region were killed by elephants, inhabitants demanded retribution and launched protests, including hunger strikes, to get it. The October rampage took place just a month after the Hindu celebration of Ganesh Chathurthi, which honors Lord Ganesh, elephant god of wisdom and obstacles. All rights reserved.