A wild tusker in the prime of its youth has been electrocuted near Sargur in H.D. Kote taluk of Mysuru district.
The incident, suspected to have taken place on Tuesday night, came to light on Wednesday. The elephant, suspected to be aged around 15 to 18, was found dead on the land of a local man identified as Naveen Kumar.
The Assistant Conservator of Forests, Raghu, said the carcass was found close to a solar power line a few metres beyond which there were traces of illegal power lines drawn from the high-tension cables. However, they were removed by the time Forest Department authorities reached the spot. The post-mortem report states that there were no other possible cause of death.
“Whether the death was due to electrocution is something which will be corroborated by the final report expected in a few days,” Mr. Raghu said.
Personnel from the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) also visited the spot. Based on the field report and the post-mortem report, the authorities will initiate action.
The forest boundary of Moleyuru range of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve is about 4 km from the spot where the elephant was found dead and it is suspected that the tusker was foraging for fodder when it came in contact with the live wire.
The Sargur town police have registered a case.
