A sub-adult elephant in the Keonjhar district of Odisha died due to electrocution after coming into contact with an 11 KV live wire. The stay wire supporting the electric pole was charged, leading to the elephant’s death. The insulator was broken, and the stay wire got charged because the electric pole was weak and should have been replaced. Forest officials confirmed that the elephant died due to electrocution, and a post-mortem of the elephant’s carcass would be conducted by vets. Forest and animal rights activist Biswajit Mohanty demanded the immediate arrest of electricity officials for neglecting safety features that led to the elephant’s death. The increasing number of elephant deaths has become alarming in recent times, with 784 elephant deaths being reported in the last decade from 2012-13 to 2021-22 in Odisha.
Elephant Electrocuted to Death in Odisha’s Keonjhar Forest
A sub-adult elephant was found dead in a forest in Odisha’s Keonjhar district on Sunday due to electrocution caused by coming in contact with an 11 KV live wire. The forest officials rushed to the spot on being informed by locals and discovered that the stay wire supporting the electric pole, which was charged, caused the death of the pachyderm. The insulator was broken, and the stay wire got charged as the electric pole was weak and supposed to be replaced, but unfortunately, that was not done. Rising elephant deaths have become a cause of concern for environmentalists in the state, with 784 elephant deaths being reported in the last decade from 2012-13 to 2021-22. Biswajit Mohanty, a forest and animal rights activist, demanded immediate arrest of electricity officials for neglecting safety features that led to the elephant’s death. The Divisional Forest Officer, H D Dhanraj, confirmed that post-mortem of the elephant’s carcass would be conducted by vets. The incident could have been avoided, said the DFO, by taking necessary precautions, especially since the increasing number of elephant deaths has become alarming in recent times.
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