Boinda: A tusker was electrocuted after it came in contact with live wires laid by poachers on Tentli-Lakshmipur jungle road under Handapa forest range in Angul district late Sunday night.
The tusker aged 25 was on its way to a paddy field when it came in contact with the live wires and electrocuted. The matter came to fore after villagers noticed the pachyderm lying dead and informed the forest officials. On being informed, Athamallik DFO Samyak Samantara, Handapa ranger Chaitanya Behera and foresters Deepti Ranjan Behera and, Premanana Sethi reached the spot and launched an investigation.
The accused poacher Amulya Sahu was arrested while four of his accomplices are absconding. When questioned about their names, forest officials refused to reveal fearing impediment to probe.
Forest officials said poaching has increased during last few months under Handapa forest range. The accused poachers had drawn live wires from 11-kv transmission line to kill the animals at night on Tentuli-Lakshmipur road. However, as ill luck would have it the tusker was passing by the route to eat paddy crops when it came in contact with the live wires and electrocuted.
Electrocution is one of the leading causes of unnatural deaths among the pachyderms in the state which was once prized for its elephants. Elephants in the state have been electrocuted either unwittingly due to sagging overhead lines and electrified fences or by poachers who have set up live wire poaching traps to kill animals.
Sixty per cent of the electrocution deaths currently are due to live wire poaching. Before 2010, the majority of the unnatural elephant deaths, approximately 80 per cent, were due to sagging power lines. Since 2010, out of 102 electrocution deaths, 42 have been due to sagging lines and 60 due to live wire poaching which reveals the absence of patrolling by the forest officials.
PNN