KOLKATA: Three elephants were found dead on Wednesday morning in Jhargram, and preliminary investigation by the forest department revealed that the animals came in contact with a sagging high-tension electric wire.
Basavraj Holaichi, divisional forest officer, Jhargram, said the incident took place when a herd of 22 elephants were passing through Satbaki area.“It appears that the three elephants came in contact with the live wire after coming out of a dry canal in the area,’’ said Holaichi.
“The elephants entered Bengal from the Dalma range in Jharkhand,’’ Holaichi added. The local residents spotted the carcasses of three elephants around 6 am on Wednesday and alerted the local forest office.“The elephants entered Bengal from the Dalma range in Jharkhand,’’ said Holaichi.
Local residents complained to the forest officials that they had informed about the local electric supply office about the sagging high-tension wire. “The distance between the ground and the wire was abnormally low compared to other places. We informed the electric supply office repeatedly,’’ alleged a local resident.
To minimise the incidents of an animal coming into human habitations, the forest department said it had installed a sensor-based warning system in a national park in Jalpaiguri district. The sirens will go off whenever the elephants come within 150-200 metres of the forest fringes.