Sambalpur: Three elephants – two female and a calf – were electrocuted to death after coming in contact with live wires laid by poachers reportedly to kill wild boars in Sambalpur district, a forest official said Monday. Rairakhol divisional forest officer (DFO) Aurobinda Mohanty said the elephant deaths occurred late Sunday night near a farmland adjoining Buromal forest under Ghosharamal forest section in Naktideul forest range area of Sambalpur district.
A special team of forest officials rushed to the spot for an inquiry. Details about the incident will be revealed once the probe is completed, the DFO said. The carcasses of the elephants have been seized, he added. A team of veterinarians would conduct the post-mortem, he said. Meanwhile, forest personnel detained four persons of Ghosharamal village and started interrogating them. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Wildlife, Susanta Nanda termed the incident “unfortunate” and said, “There was negligence on the part of the patrolling team and field officials of the area.” The regional chief conservator of forests (RCCF), Sambalpur, has been asked to conduct a thorough probe and strict action will be taken against those found guilty, Nanda said.
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Meanwhile, the Forest department has suspended three field workers for dereliction of duty. However, wildlife enthusiasts criticised the government for its prolonged investigations without concrete action. Sangita Iyer, biologist and founder of Voice for Asian Elephants, said, “Investigations into elephant deaths are galore but there is hardly any tangible outcomes. Penalties are not imposed on the discoms nor on the farmers who install illegal fencing. They literally get away with the murders.”