DHENKANAL: The rise in number of elephant deaths under Dhenkanal forest division has left forest officials worried. Seven elephants have died in Dhenkanal so far this year.
On November 21, an adult tusker got electrocuted at Alusingh village under Hindol forest range after getting entangled in live wires. The tusker, aged about 30, was feeding on the crop in a paddy field when it came in contact with the live wire, said DFO, Pradipta Kumar Sahu. The live wire was allegedly drawn by a farmer from a low transmission line in the paddy field for domestic use.
A day later, an elephant calf was found dead under similar circumstances in Nuakiari village under Hindol forest range.
Locals, however, said they are forced to lay live wires in their agricultural fields as elephants from the nearby forest frequently destroy their crops. Although elephant-proof trenches have been dug up in Baabandha area of Hindol, these are of little help in preventing the animals from straying into human habitations.
In fact, in the last three years, four elephants have been electrocuted in Hindol forest range and one in Sadangi forest range. Environmentalists said electrocution continues to be a primary cause behind elephant deaths in Dhenkanal, courtesy lack of coordination between the officials of the Forest department and the Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU). On the other hand, forest authorities blamed CESU officials for neglect resulting in the death of the elephants. They said although several reminders have been sent to CESU officials to fix the sagging power lines, there has been no positive response so far.
Poaching too has become rampant in the last few years. Sources said four elephants have been killed by poachers in four years in the forests bordering Dhenkanal-Cuttack and Dhenkanal-Keonjhar regions.
In yet another step to check unnatural deaths of elephants, the Dhenkanal Forest Division has urged the East Coast Railway (ECoR) to reduce the speed of trains running on Dhenkanal-Angul route.
The DFO said the ECoR authorities have been requested to reduce speed of the trains from Sadashivpur station to Hindol Road railway station between 6 pm and 6 am every day as elephants use this route to return to the forest after feeding on crops in the paddy fields.
