The Horrifying Execution Method of Death by Elephants

Popular in parts of Asia for centuries the use of execution by elephants was adopted by Romans after their encounter with war elephants in the Punic Wars.

Carthaginian military general Hannibal famously crossed the Italian Alps with a large number of elephants while many died from the bad conditions.

It is said that the elephants were trained to avoid stepping on the vital organs of the person being executed in order to increase their suffering.

The elephant was the best animal for carrying out an execution.

Due to its naturally high level of intelligence the elephant can be trained.

This is advantageous when compared to using other wild beasts such as lions or boars.

These are too unpredictable and untamable.

In a show of immediate judgement the elephant was also ideal for killing a victim in one step.

The Romans encountered war elephants in the First and Second Punic Wars.

An elephant would lift one leg as directed by its driver the mahout, and wait for a final decision by a dynastic Asian ruler before bringing down its leg for an execution.

In this way a prisoner’s fate could be reverse similar to any mechanical method of execution while maintaining the fear and shock of using a large beast.

Akbar the Great apparently was known to employ this method to strike fear into his enemies before releasing them.

An 1868 execution of a death by elephant comes from French traveler Louis Rousselet.

He witnessed a terrified prisoner in Asia brought before an elephant for his death sentence to be carried out.

The elephant squashed his head with no effort at all its massive weight coming down like a 2 ton executioner’s axe.