New Delhi: At least 88 wild animals, including elephants, sambars, boars and endangered rhinoceros, have been killed in the last few years by poachers who electrocuted them with high tension power lines running over wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has informed the Supreme Court (SC). The information came in an affidavit filed by the ministry with the apex court in response to a 5 November order. In its order, the court observed that it had come to its notice that “of late, poaching of wildlife has been resorted by drawing lines from the high tension power lines running over wildlife sanctuaries and reserved forests in order to electrocute the wildlife inhabiting such forest areas”. The ministry, giving state-wise details of such deaths, reported that the highest number of cases were recorded in Odisha (39), followed by Assam, where 24 rhinos were killed by electrocution. A total of 25 elephants were similarly killed in West Bengal and Meghalaya. Uttarakhand alone recorded 26 cases of death of elephants by electrocution but the state government said they were all accidental deaths. The ministry told the court that development projects, including those with power and electricity lines passing through protected areas, need to be cleared by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). Since 2013, seven such proposals have been cleared by the standing committee of the NBWL. The Supreme Court had given the ministry till 5 January to file the affidavit and is now expected to hear the case.