Quote Originally Posted by katank
You can get merc war elephants as the Romans either by hiring them in North Africa or Middle East or be rewarded them by the Senate.

No armoured eles though.
I did not know that. I stand (partially) corrected. Are they rare? I must admit that I don't use mercanaries very often in my armies, but in my campaigns as Selucids and Brutii I never recruited or encountered any mercanery war elephants. They could've made matters much simpler.