A juvenile tusker, estimated to be 8 to 10 years old, was found dead near Talsira village in the Bantala forest range under Odisha’s Angul forest division on Friday.
Preliminary investigation suggests the elephant died from electrocution after coming into contact with an illegal electric fence set up by a local farmer to guard his mango orchard.
Forest officials confirmed that the live wire was unlawfully connected and laid around the orchard to deter wild animals. Tragically, the young elephant is believed to have been killed instantly after touching the high-voltage wire.
Upon being alerted, senior forest department personnel rushed to the site. The farmer responsible for installing the illegal electric fencing has been detained and is currently under interrogation to determine the wire’s power source and level of voltage used.
This incident adds to the growing list of human-wildlife conflicts in forest-fringe areas of Odisha, where elephant corridors are increasingly disrupted by agricultural expansion and habitat loss. The use of unauthorized electric fencing poses a severe threat to protected species, particularly elephants.
Authorities have announced that a post-mortem examination of the elephant will be conducted to ascertain the exact cause of death. Legal action will follow based on the findings of the report and the ongoing investigation.
