Startled by the deaths of two male elephants within three days in Haridwar, the Uttarakhand Forest Department has begun removing high-power electric fencing erected by farmers around agricultural fields adjoining forest areas. The move followed the recovery of two elephant carcasses on September 26 and September 29 in the Haridwar Forest Division.
According to officials of the Haridwar Forest Division, the deaths of two healthy male pachyderms within such a short span shocked the entire department. A probe revealed that the cause of death of the second elephant, about 32 years old, was electrocution. This prompted the department to dismantle all electric fences installed by farmers around fields close to forest areas.
“A team of more than 50 officials and employees removed electric fencing from nearly 60 fields adjoining forest areas on Wednesday. The drive will be extended to other parts of the Haridwar Forest Division wherever similar fences are found. The action was taken after one elephant died of electrocution at a farmer’s field. The field owner has been booked and produced in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate today,” said Swapnil Aniruddh, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Haridwar.
Swapnil further stated that creating electric fencing around fields near forest areas is illegal as it violates wildlife and forest conservation norms. He added that while the elephant found dead on September 29 had died of electrocution after coming in contact with a high-voltage fence, the cause of death of the elephant found on September 26 was still unclear.
The deaths of the two pachyderms within three days have forced the forest department to launch a campaign to remove such illegal fencing. “Additionally, water samples from nearby sources and reservoirs have been collected for testing. The sampling was done to ascertain whether there was any deliberate attempt to poison water sources, since the cause of the first elephant’s death remains unknown,” the DFO said.
The carcass of the first elephant was discovered in the Rasoolpur area of Khanpur forest range, while the second was found in Shah Mansoor forest beat. The elephant found in Rasoolpur was located between forest and revenue department lands. “Since there was no electric fence near the carcass and all body parts were intact, the possibility of poaching or deliberate killing has been ruled out. However, as the cause of death is still not clear, viscera samples have been sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, for further examination. The report is awaited,” added DFO Swapnil.