video transcript

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION) STORY: An elephant ran amok and killed its keeper in the vicinity of Malayikeezhu, on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram, the provincial capital of India's southern state of Kerala on Friday. The elephant named, Sree Vallabhan, belonged to a temple in Malayinkeezhu. It went on a rampage as its minder was attempting to make it walk to another nearby temple, local reports said. After killing its keeper the elephant picked the body up with its trunk and swung it around. Forestry department veterinarians tranquilized the elephant with two medicated darts, enabling the animal to be reined in. Trained elephants are used to chase away wild elephants from the human habitats, tea estates and agricultural lands with standing crops. Instances of wild elephants entering into tea estates and other areas of human habitation are quite common because of human encroachment on elephant habitats.