In yet another case of man-animal conflict, a young tusker was electrocuted on Monday after it got trapped in an illegal electric fencing allegedly raised by a sugarcane farmer. The incident occurred at Bisanpur Kundi village of Haridwar.
Forest officials fear that more such incidents would occur in the days ahead as sugarcane crop has matured and farmers are doing everything possible to prevent attacks on farms by wild animals.
“The tusker looking 30 to 35 years of age died of electrocution,” said DFO Hardwar Division RD Pathak.
He, however, ruled out any poaching angle. “We fear more tuskers straying into sugarcane farms and villagers taking similar methods to prevent them from damaging the crops,” said Pathak.
The DFO said efforts were being taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. “We are trying to rope in local villagers for patrolling,” he said.
Pathak added that raising walls towards forest side of the fields were the only permanent solution to pachyderm menace here. “Soon a proposal to construct a 15-km concrete wall will be sent to the senior forest authorities,” said Pathak.
Most of the tusker deaths in this area have taken place due to electrocution.
Meanwhile, there is a huge pressure on forest officials to dismiss this as an accident case. But forest officials are determined to take the guilty to task.
