BERHAMPUR: Forest officers and power distribution company Southco will jointly work to prevent poaching of wild animals, particularly elephants through electrocution, in Ganjam district.
The officer met at Bhanjanagar, about 80 km from here, on Tuesday to discuss strategies to prevent such incidents. The poachers usually lay wires and hook it to an 11KV line passing nearby in forest areas. "The forest officers will intimate Southco about hooking in forest areas and the engineers will immediately cut off power supply," said divisional forest officer (Ghumusar south) Ranjan Mallick.
The officers will maintain a strict vigil in identified vulnerable areas under Ghumusara North and Ghumusara South divisions. While 52 such areas have been identified in Ghumusara North, there are 80 in Ghumusara South, he said.
In the last three years, 10 elephants have died of electrocution in the district and as many small animals like wild bore and barking dear.
Southco has also been asked to raise the height of transmission lines and fix electric poles with cement in elephant corridors. The electric poles twisted out of shape in cyclone Phailin last year are yet to be rectified.
The meeting coincided with the arrest of a poacher at Buduli village under Muzagarh forest range. "Pradip Bhuyan had laid wires to electrocute animals. Around 300-metre wire was seized from the spot," said forest ranger K C Pradhan.
