Two elephants electrocuted in Kodagu

Two elephants died due to electrocution on coming in contact with a live electricity wire at Nellihudikeri in Kodagu district, forest officials said.

The incident is said to have taken place during the early hours of Monday.

On Monday morning, estate workers spotted the carcass of a female elephant in a private estate owned by K Prakash Mandanna, while another carcass, of a male elephant, was found close by in another estate owned by Sumanth Chengappa, officials said.

Stating that a 11kv electric line passes through the private estates, they said, the line was damaged following incessant rainfall and the broken wire was lying haywire inside the estate premises, and the female elephant, aged approximately 12 years, and a male elephant, aged approximately 14 years, came in contact with the broken electric line at two different spots.

Both the elephants were electrocuted, they further said, adding that, while the female elephant had injuries of electrocution across her neck, the male elephant suffered fatal injuries on the forehead.

Forest department officials and officials from the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) visited the spot. ”A case under the Wildlife Act has been booked and an FIR has been lodged against the concerned JEE of the CESC department for negligence,” Poovaiah, Madikeri Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) said.

The post-mortem of the two elephants was conducted and the carcasses were buried by the department staff, officials added.