Naktideula: A six-year-old female elephant was electrocuted late Saturday night after coming in contact with a solar fencing illegally connected to a high-voltage transmission wire at Tikilipada village under Sarapali forest beat of Naktideul forest range in Sambalpur district. Despite instructions to use solar fencing only, a local farmer had allegedly linked the wire to the main electricity line to ward off elephants, leading to the fatal accident, Forest officials said. Following the incident, the Forest personnel detained the villager responsible for the illegal connection.
A Special Task Force (STF) team from Bhubaneswar visited the site Sunday afternoon and launched an inquiry. Reports indicate that elephants have been regularly straying into Tikilipada village over the past few days, damaging crops and properties. The incident occurred when a herd of nine elephants strayed into the village Saturday night. With the help of Forest staff and locals, the herd was driven back towards the jungle. While retreating through a scrubland near a paddy field, the female elephant came in contact with the live wire and was electrocuted at around 2.30 am.
Redhakhol Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Eliarasan K confirmed the incident. Senior Forest and Power department officials, including Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCF) T Ashok Kumar, Redhakhol DFO Eliarasan K, Naktideul Range Officer Ashwini Kumar Behera, and a veterinary team visited the spot Sunday morning. The elephant’s post-mortem is scheduled for Monday, the DFO said. Notably, this is not the first such incident in the area. Earlier, a female elephant had died after coming into contact with a 33 KV transmission line near Chhatapada in the Ghosramal forest section August 17, 2024.
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Similarly, on November 18, three elephants were electrocuted in the Ghosramal forest section after stepping on an illegally laid power trap meant for wild boar poaching November 18, 2024. Officials said these recurring jumbo deaths highlight the urgent need for stricter monitoring and public awareness of the dangers of illegal electrification in forest fringe areas.
