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Elephant execution in the United States, sometimes called elephant lynching, was the killing of an elephant in order to punish it for behaviors that had inconvenienced, threatened, injured, or killed humans. Elephant execution is distinct from both animal euthanasia (in which the animal is put down because it is ill, has behavioral problems, or simply cannot be maintained) and from killing an elephant that is in the midst of an ongoing attack or "rampage". Elephant execution is a ritual process with a pseudo-legal or performative aspect. Documenting the execution or the body with film or still photos was not uncommon.