Bull elephants fired for frisky behaviour

Bull elephants that for centuries have transported tourists to the hilltop Amber Fort in Rajasthan will lose their jobs in November because they can't stop thinking about sex.

Bull elephants that for centuries have transported tourists to the hilltop Amber Fort in Rajasthan will lose their jobs in November because they can't stop thinking about sex.

There are only nine males among the 97 elephants that carry tourists up the 1,400ft slope to the 16th-century fort near Jaipur, which contains several palaces and a panoramic view of the lands once ruled by the Kachwacha dynasty. But it is the bulls who have been causing most of the commotion.

Rajasthan's deputy tourism director, O P Yadav, said: "The bulls often fight among themselves while they are carrying tourists on their backs. Because of biological demand, the bull elephant in rut often becomes bad-tempered."

Last year, a female elephant carrying two Japanese women fell into a ditch along the slope after a male in rut bumped her from behind. The tourists were not hurt, but the female elephant died from her injuries.

After the accident the state tourism department wanted an immediate ban on male elephants carrying tourists. But the owners pleaded for more time to replace the bulls with females. (AP)