ANGUL: A 15-year-old tusker died due to electrocution near Talagada village under Bantala forest range of Angul division on Thursday night. Forest officials arrested one Joginath Pradhan in this connection and produced him in court on Friday.The tusker came in contact with a live wire reportedly laid by Pradhan near his house to poach animals. Locals spotted the dead elephant in the morning and informed forest officials.
Bantala ranger Madhaba Chandra Nayak said the accused had built his house in the forest area, nearly one km from Talagada village. The tusker was electrocuted by a wire trap laid by Pradhan near his house. The tusker was roaming in Angul forest range areas since the last few months. Sources said many people in the region continue to lay live electric wire on the ground to poach wild animals despite warnings from the Forest department.
Nayak said, “We had conducted an awareness programme in Talagada on Thursday evening and advised villagers not to lay wire traps in the area. However, all our efforts went in vain as the tusker died of electrocution later in the night.”Forest personnel conducted postmortem of the tusker carcass and arrested Pradhan. Local villagers cooperated with the forest staff, the ranger added.