A five-year-old male elephant was electrocuted after getting entangled in a loose fence at a farm in Kadayaratti hamlet on Bargur hills on Monday.
The larger distance between the poles had probably caused invisibility of the drooped electrified fence. The impact of the sustained shock was aggravated by the dampness on the body of the elephant calf due to drizzle, District Forest Officer Nagarajan said, adding that the carcass was buried at the spot.
Electrocution of elephants on Bargur hills where farmers mostly cultivate tapioca was unusual. The fence had primarily been erected by the farmer Chinnaiyan (52), who was arrested and remanded in custody, to prevent entry of wild boars, officials said.
The farmers are permitted to erect solar fences that only cause a deterrent effect, but they illegally put up fencing with electricity tapped illegally from the power lines causing deaths of wild animals, officials said.
