Chhattisgarh: Elephant dies of electrocution in Balodabazar, one poacher held

An elephant died of electrocution in Balodabazar district of Chhattisgarh after it came in contact with a live wire laid by poachers, one of whom has been arrested, a forest official said on Tuesday. The carcass of a male jumbo, aged around 26 years, was found near Pakrid village under Devpur forest range on Monday, divisional forest officer (DFO) of Balodabazar division Mayank Agrawal told PTI.

A post-mortem conducted by a team of veterinarians revealed that the elephant died of electrocution, he said.

As per preliminary investigations, poachers had laid the electric wire trap to kill wild animals and the pachyderm stepped on it and got electrocuted, he said.

A man from Pakrid has been arrested, while efforts are on to trace other suspects allegedly involved in the offence, the official added.

Chhattisgarh has reported death of around 50 elephants in the last four years, with causes ranging from ailments and old age to electrocution, it was stated.