A tusker died after coming in contact with a live electrical wire at IBC Company coffee estate at Kadlur Koplu village in Alur taluk on Friday night. The elephant, aged about 25 years, came in contact with 11-kV sagging power line in the estate, which came to light on Saturday morning, when workers reached there.
Ganesh S. Bhat, Deputy Conservator of Forests, told The Hindu on Saturday that negligence of the electricity supply company was the reason for the incident. The Forest Department would file a case against the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation for the alleged gross negligence.
Parts of Alur and Sakaleshpur taluks in Hassan district are known for the conflict between man and animal. In the last 10 years, more than 50 people have died in elephant attacks and around 35 elephants have died, many of them due to electrocution. Following constant demand from the people, the Forest Department conducted a drive to capture wild elephants in the area and relocate them elsewhere. In the first phase, the department had the permission to capture 25 elephants in the operation conducted in November and December of 2014.