3 elephants electrocuted in Sambalpur

Sambalpur: Three elephants, including a calf, were electrocuted to death after coming in contact with a power line in Sambalpur district, a forest official said on Monday. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Rairakhol division, Aurobinda Mohanty, said two female adult elephants and a calf died in the incident that took place on Sunday night in Naktideul area of Sambalpur district.

From prima facie, it seems that the elephants came in contact with a live power line laid by poachers to trap wild boars to protect crops, he said. A special team of forest officials rushed to the spot for an inquiry. Further details about the incident can be known after completion of the probe, the DFO said.

The carcasses have been seized. A team of veterinarians would conduct the post-mortem.

Terming the death of the three elephants as extremely unfortunate, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Susanta Nanda, said: “As per the initial reports received from the DFO and other field staff, the pachyderms were electrocuted to death after coming into contact with electric wires laid there to trap wild boars. Certainly, there are lapses and negligence on the part of the elephant squad of the department patrolling in the area. The death of three elephants is a very unfortunate incident.”

Nanda said the Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCF), and the Joint Task Force (JTF) of forest and police personnel have been asked to reach the spot of the incident and conduct a thorough probe into the matter to find those responsible. Nanda said this is the third such incident in Rairakhol area of Sambalpur and asserted that stringent action will be taken against the officials whose negligence caused the unfortunate deaths of the animals.

He said action should have been taken against the poachers by the staff in the area. He also said it was earlier decided to carry out joint patrolling in the area along with the Electricity department officials and remove the electric wires laid to trap wild boars in the forest. Negligence by Forest and Electricity department officials caused the death of three elephants, Nanda said.

Meanwhile, a 55-year-old man was trampled to death by a wild elephant at Hatibadi village in Sambalpur district on Sunday night. The deceased was identified as Ganeswar Bhoi, police said.