Brahmanibil (Orissa): A carcass of an Asian elephant, believed to have died of electrocution injuries was found last Saturday in Brahmanibil revenue village in the Angul Forest Division of Orissa.

Prasanna Kumar Behera, Honorary Wildlife Warden of the Angul Forest Division, said, “The electricity poles supporting the wires are placed far apart, causing the wires to hang low. The tusker could have accidentally touched the wire while crossing the paddy fields and got electrocuted.”

“When such high voltage wires are installed, the authorities should be careful about the ‘sag’ that occurs between the poles. In areas where elephants are found, they should maintain the height at such levels that the animals are unable to reach them even with their trunks stretched,” said Ashok Kumar, vice-chairman, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).

Electrocution is one of the common causes of elephant deaths in India. In a similar case in Orissa, another tusker was electrocuted near Kumarmal village in Sundargarh less than a month ago. Likewise, in May, a mother and a calf were reportedly electrocuted in Badrama Ghati range.

Electrocution deaths are also recorded in other elephant range states of India. A few months ago in Meghalaya, six elephants were electrocuted after their herd (of about 40), toppled electric poles while crossing farmlands.

 “There are over 200 Asian elephants in the Angul Forest Division according to the 2005 census,” Prasanna said. Blaming industrial and mining activities, Prasanna added that elephant habitat was being damaged, increasing the frequency of conflicts with humans. He complained, “The sal forest of this region is being rapidly degraded by these activities. In the past six months, about three lakh sal trees have been felled according to our estimates.”

Prasenjeet Navgire, assistant programme officer, WTI, said, “Death of elephants due to train hits and electrocution are among the major causes of unnatural elephant deaths in India. About 140 elephants were killed by accidental electrocution within a span of ten years till 2006.”

“When electric lines are laid along a ‘right of way’ within a protected area, there are funds allocated to clear the vegetation along the line to prevent electrocution of animals during monsoons. However, these funds remain unused or even misused, leaving wildlife susceptible to accidents,” Kumar added.