A female elephant died after coming into contact with an electric current near Malkapur village in Madhya Pradesh’s Mauganj district. A pair of elephants had reached the area when one of them came into contact with an exposed power line.
A female elephant died after coming into contact with an electric current in Malkapur, Mauganj. Preliminary information suggests the elephant came into contact with an electric wire. Photo: Forest Department
A female elephant died after being electrocuted amid the movement of elephants in Mauganj district. The incident reportedly took place near Malkapur village on Friday night.
Preliminary information suggests that a pair of elephants had reached the area near the village. During this time, one of the female elephants came into contact with an electric wire. The wire reportedly became entangled in its trunk, causing the elephant to die at the spot.
After receiving information about the incident, villagers reached the site and informed the concerned authorities. A Forest Department team inspected the site and began legal proceedings.
Lokesh Nirapure, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Rewa, said the elephant’s post-mortem examination would be conducted near Malkapur. The circumstances surrounding the death will become clearer after the post-mortem and investigation.
Elephants had been in the area for six months
The pair of elephants had been moving through different forest areas of Mauganj, Rewa and Sidhi districts for about six months.
In recent days, the two elephants had reached the Hanumana area of Mauganj, where they remained for about six days.
During this period, some villages reported crop damage and damage to houses.
On September 14, the pair crossed Turra Pahad in the Hanumana area and entered the forest area of Madhugaon in Sidhi district.
For about five days, the two elephants had been moving through forests along the Mauganj-Sidhi border. On Friday night, they returned towards Mauganj and reached the area near Malkapur. It was during this movement that one of the female elephants came into contact with electricity.
Power supply issue had surfaced earlier
Problems related to electricity supply had already emerged during the elephants’ movement through the area.
Ground Report had earlier reported on the elephants’ movement in detail. The repeated movement of elephants through villages had led to frequent power cuts in some areas, causing problems for residents.
On September 2, Rewa DFO Lokesh Nirapure told Ground Report that electricity was still being switched off in areas along the elephants’ movement routes to ensure their safety.
After the elephant’s death in Malkapur, questions have again emerged over the safety of power lines and exposed wires in areas where elephants have been moving regularly.
The circumstances of the incident will only be confirmed after the electricity line is examined, the site is inspected and the post-mortem report is completed.
Investigation will determine responsibility
The Forest Department has started legal proceedings following the elephant’s death. The site is reportedly located in an area under the Forest Development Corporation.
The investigation will examine the condition of the power line that the elephant came into contact with and whether it met the required safety standards.
It will also examine what measures were taken to protect wildlife from power lines despite the authorities having information about the elephants’ presence in the area for an extended period.
The investigation and post-mortem will establish the circumstances of the elephant’s death and whether responsibility can be assigned to any department or individual.
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