Another elephant dies of electrocution in West Bengal

A male elephant died on Wednesday after coming in contact with a live electric wire in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district, the second such incident in the district in as many days. Chief Wildlife Warden, Ravikant Sinha, said the pachyderm died while trying to eat a branch of a jackfruit tree which was entangled with live wire at Nagrakata block in Bamandanga tea estate area.

Locals immediately rushed to the spot and saw the animal dead with its trunk entangled with the snapped wire. On Tuesday, a tusker died after coming in contact with a live electric wire at Ramjhora in the district. Sinha said Tuesday's incident was a deliberate act by someone, while Wednesdays jumbo death is accidental.

"Both cases are very sad for us," he said.

The senior forest official said an FIR has been lodged in connection with Tuesday's incident and a local resident has been named. Another forest official said, "We are trying to sensitise people against putting up electric wires at places frequented by elephants. We need the involvement of everyone to protect wildlife." On July 9, the carcass of a male elephant was found in a paddy field near Garo Busty village in the Rajabhatkhawa area adjoining the Buxa Tiger Reserve in neighbouring Alipurduar district.

Five elephants have died in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts, including two near the Buxa Tiger Reserve, since mid-June, the official said. Four of the five deaths were caused due to electrocution, he added. The forest department is looking into the deaths of the pachyderms, Sinha said.