Dhenkanal: Deliberate attempt to kill tusker, says DFO (State of Odisha, India)
Dhenkanal: Deliberate attempt to kill tusker, says DFO (State of Odisha,
India)
The New Indian Express
June 8, 2021
See link
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2021/jun/08/deliberate-attempt-to-kill-tusker-says-dfo-2313231.html
for photo.
DHENKANAL: Forest officials arrested Biswajit Arjend Kumar Jena in
connection with the electrocution of a tusker in his mango orchard at
Gobindaprasad village. He was produced before the SDJM Dhenkanal court
which granted him bail on Monday. The tusker was found dead in Jena’s mango
orchard around the solar fencing. The tusker had come in contact with a LT
line and died.
The postmortem, prime facie, reveals this is a clear case of electrocution.
Though local inputs are being verified, DFO Prakash Chand Gogineni said it
was a deliberate attempt to kill the tusker. “We submitted evidence before
court apart from other evidence,” he said.
The forest officials also verified that the solar fencing was overcharged
to 20 kv instead of the specified 9 kv at the spot which violates
guidelines. “Solar fencing should have been charged at a certain level but
ground reports show it was overcharged for which we gathered evidence and
indicated in the report. This apart, other wild animals are targeted in the
lane,” he said.
Forest department is now investigating if owner of the mango orchard
encroached village forest. The land will be measured within 10 days and
returned to official records soon. The DFO said, applications of technology
will be done on the spot and measurement of the land will be carried out.
Elephant Found Dead
BERHAMPUR: A tusker was found dead near Lathipada village under North
Ghumusur forest division on Monday. Locals first spotted the carcass of the
25-year-old elephant near a mango orchard in the morning. On being
informed, forest officials along with veterinary team and police reached
spot and conducted postmortem. Though the reason of the tusker’s death is
yet to be ascertained, it is suspected that the elephant died of
electrocution as an 11 kv power line passes near the spot.