Tusker electrocuted on electric fence

January 31, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 05:37 am IST - Udhagamandalam:

Autopsy being conducted on the elephant near Sholur in The Nilgiris on Friday.– Photo: M.Sathyamoorthy

Autopsy being conducted on the elephant near Sholur in The Nilgiris on Friday.– Photo: M.Sathyamoorthy

An adult tusker was killed at Dhoddamanehaada near Sholur on Thursday, after it came into contact with an illegally electrified fence inside a garlic field.

An autopsy was conducted by Forest Veterinarian N.S. Manoharan in the presence of members of the Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association (NWEA) and wildlife activists on Friday. The tusker, aged between 25 and 30 years, had died either on Wednesday night or during the wee hours of Thursday. Forest sources said that efforts had been made to conceal the evidence and added that appropriate action would be initiated against those responsible for the death of the elephant.

Meanwhile, conservationists regretted that of late death of wild animals particularly elephants due to electrocution was on the rise. Speaking to The Hindu they alleged that it was due to poor surveillance. People cultivating crops near forests are now emboldened to flout rules and electrify fences.

Urging the government to come down with a heavy hand on the culprits, NWEA Executive Committee Member K.Vijay said that the punishment should be made stringent.

‘Death of wild animals particularly elephants due to electrocution is on the rise’

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.