Jul 26, 4:49 AM EDT
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Rampaging Elephants Kill 8 in India*

GAUHATI, India (AP) -- Two domesticated elephants went on a rampage
through several villages in northeastern India, killing eight people and
wounding five before being shot dead by police, officials said Thursday.

Police were searching for the owners of the elephants and trying to
establish what caused the violent behavior, rare among tamed elephants.
Angry villagers protesting the lack of protection burnt down the local
forestry office.

The rampage occurred Wednesday in an area bordering India's Assam and
Mizoram states, said Gautam Ganguly, a senior government official in the
area.

The two elephants, a male and a female, ran through at least five
villages in Assam, trampling anyone who got in their way before crossing
into the neighboring state of Mizoram, where police were called in.

"Men of the Mizoram Police finally gunned the elephants down after
dusk," Ganguly said.

Local government officials said the families of the dead would receive
$1,250 in compensation.

The remote region is home to some 5,000 wild Asiatic elephants, and
conflicts between the elephants and humans have been on the rise due to
constant encroachment on the animals' habitat. However, attacks by
domesticated elephants are extremely rare.