Tusker dies after grazing dangling power line in Bijnor forest

Bijnor: A 42-year-old male elephant was electrocuted in a sugarcane field in Tanda Sahu Wala village in Bijnor's Sahuwala forest range when it came into contact with a hanging high-voltage power line on Tuesday morning. A broken electricity pole was also found near the site.
Forest officials have launched an investigation to address the growing concern over power lines in areas frequented by wildlife.Najibabad divisional forest officer (DFO) Vandana said, "The investigation indicates that the elephant died due to electrocution. Both of its tusks are intact, and we are awaiting the postmortem report. We are assessing the height of the power lines passing through areas where elephant movement is common. We will write to the authorities concerned if we find any dangling wires."
The incident has raised alarms among locals and officials, as wildlife, particularly elephants, are increasingly at risk of electrocution by low-hanging power lines. Earlier, a similar incident took place in the Badhapur region, which had already prompted instructions to elevate power lines. Elephants are particularly attracted to sugarcane, especially during the harvest season, making them more vulnerable as they venture into fields.
As per data tabled in the Lok Sabha in July this year, India lost 528 elephants in the last five years due to unnatural causes. Of them, 392 – a staggering 75% — died from electrocution, while 73 were killed in train accidents.
India has witnessed the loss of 1,381 jumbos from 2009 to 2023 due to unnatural causes ranging from electrocution to poisoning. According to RTI data obtained by Uttarakhand-based social activist Hemant Gonia in Nov 23, electrocution topped the list of causes of pachyderm deaths with 898 cases. This was followed by train accidents (218), poaching (191) and poisoning (74).