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MP: Two elephants electrocuted near Sanjay Gandhi tiger reserve
Two wild elephants were electrocuted when they came in contact with a live electric wire Baghwari village in Sidhi district, near Sanjay Gandhi Tiger Reserve on Saturday, wildlife officials said.
Two wild elephants were electrocuted when they came in contact with a live electric wire Baghwari village in Sidhi district, near Sanjay Gandhi Tiger Reserve on Saturday, wildlife officials said.
According to officials, a farmer Rajbhoran Singh connected the wire to a water pump for irrigation. Sub-divisional Officer SP Singh Gaharwar said they have seized the wire and irrigation pump. Gaharwar said the elephants were around 15 to 16 years old. Local officials said since last one month, elephants from both Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh often enter the area.
Villagers said the wire was five feet above the ground. However, the incident took place when the elephants came in contact with it. Gaharwar said the trunks of the elephants were badly damaged. “It appears that the elephants struggled and attempted to cut the wire with their trunks or tried to move away by moving their trunks,” he said.
Forest department has also contacted the power department to find out who gave permission to lay an electric wire just 5 feet above the ground. “At such height, it can be dangerous to both humans and animals,” said Gaharwar.
In December HT had reported that wild elephants were straying into Madhya Pradesh’s eastern districts from bordering northern Chhattisgarh.
