Two elephants electrocuted in Odisha's Keonjhar district

KEONJHAR: In a shocking incident, two elephants were electrocuted in the OUAT campus in Keonjhar under the Keonjhar Sadar range on Thursday morning.  

Both were females and had given birth to two calves less than a month back.

The two, about 25-year-old, were part of a group of nine elephants roaming in Judia of the Sanaghagara forest area. For the past few days, the group has been living in this forest.  

On Thursday morning, a group entered the OUAT premises and came in contact with 11 kV wire which led to their death. DFO HD Dhanral and Sadar Ranger Bijay Kumar Mahant rushed to the spot.

The incident has exposed a glaring lack of coordination among forest, energy and other government agencies in securing elephants’ movement. Herds of elephants have been living in the region but no remedial measures were taken.

Odisha has of late grabbed headlines over a spate of elephant deaths and suppression of the incidents. Poaching too has been a cause of concern.

Electrocution deaths though are not new. The state reports one of the highest numbers of elephant electrocution in the country.