Elephant electrocuted in India when tree falls on power line

Author(s)

Associated Press

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NEW DELHI (AP) — As their forest habitats shrink and villages edge closer, it’s not uncommon for wild elephants in India to destroy crops and homes and sometimes even kill people.
Sometimes, coming too close to civilization leads to tragic consequences for the pachyderms.
In remote parts of the northeastern state of Assam elephants are sometimes run over by speeding trains.
An elephant was killed early Wednesday when a tree he had uprooted to eat fell on an electric tower in the Goalpara region of Assam. Villagers said the rest of the herd of 20-25 elephants tried to help but were scared by the jolts of power and finally had to abandon the animal.
Devout Hindus also worship elephants as an incarnation of the elephant-headed God Ganesha. As news of the elephant’s death spread, dozens of villagers poured out to pay their respects to the animal.