A 12-year-old tusker died after coming into contact with a live electric wire in a paddy field at Tungri Toli village under the Bandhamunda police station limits in Sundaragada.
According to reports, villagers had installed electric wire fencing around their paddy fields to protect their crops. Last night, the tusker wandered into the field in search of food and came into direct contact with the live wire, resulting in its instant death on the spot.
Upon receiving the information, the Raurkela Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), along with other forest officials, rushed to the scene and initiated the procedures for the post-mortem examination of the carcass. The Forest Department has detained two individuals in connection with the incident.
Meanwhile, local residents have raised concerns, stating that wild elephants frequently enter the area searching for food and damage their crops. They alleged that while the forest department personnel occasionally arrive to drive the herds away, the elephants return to the villages soon after. Locals also pointed out that human-elephant conflicts have been a recurring issue, with frequent crop damage and tragic loss of human lives.
An investigation into the elephant’s death is currently underway.
