An adult elephant was electrocuted in Birpara area of Dooars in the
early hours of Saturday.
Before getting the fatal jolt the jumbo had raided a paddy field in a
village next to Dalgaon forest. On Saturday morning, The villagers on
Saturday morning found the carcass of the elephant inside a betel nut
plantation, just beside the paddy field and informed the Dalgaon
forest range. Locals informed the Dalgaon Range immediately after the
discovery.
The signs on the carcass made the foresters believe that this was a
case of electrocution. From the signs on the carcass, foresters
primarily believe this to be a clear case of electrocution. “We’ll
take legal steps against the owner of land where the carcass washas
been found,” said a forest official.
Tapping of power from high tension wires and laying wire traps for
jumbos are a common practice in region of the statepart of the state,
especially in theDooars and Terai. People living in the forest
villages and in the fringe areasdo this to stop elephants from
invading paddy fields during the harvest season.
“There should be a balance in death and human-elephant conflict should
be stopped. Every time an elephant dies, we feel sad. We have to come
up with ways to stop this,” said chief minister, Mamata Banerjee in
Kolkata. Over the past few years.
The practice has also gained popularity among villagers in Baundangi
area of Nepal’s Kakarvitta. which is often raided by elephants that
cross over from the Mechiriver on the Indo-Nepal border. and enter
into the village.In Bengal, 19 jumbos have died due to electrocution
in the Dooars and Terai in 10 years. Recently, a daily labourer died
in Belakoba area after coming in contact with a wire that was laid
down as an elephant trap.that the owner of the landhad laid on the
ground to stop elephants from entering his field.
Environmentalists blame it on the indiscriminate growth of habitats in
and around forestlands, which the governments have so far failed to
put a check. “Since their land has been occupied, they have started
raiding. Having their land occupied, elephants The behavioural change
in the elephants is also a result of the continuous man-elephant
conflict,” said Animesh Basu, a member of state wildlife advisory
board.
“There should be a balance and the human-elephant conflict should be
stopped. Every time an elephant a dies, we feel sad but we have to
come with ways through which we can stop this,” said Mamata Banerjee
in Kolkata.
“There should be a balance and the human-elephant conflict should be
stopped. Every time an elephant a dies, we feel sad but we have to
come with ways through which we can stop this,” said Mamata Banerjee
in Kolkata.