A wild tusker was electrocuted in Appanur near Coimbatore on Friday, September 15. A male elephant which was on the search for food entered a tribal village Appanur near Anaikatti hills of Coimbatore. The tusker came in contact with low-lying live wire of a power line after trying to enter the village late at night. Tribespeople rushed to the spot after hearing the trumpeting of the tusker and found it dead.
Tribespeople of Appanur paid the floral homage to the tusker. They also alerted the Agali forest department. A preliminary investigation by forest officials revealed that the height of the live wire was not raised to ensure the safe passage of elephants and the tusker was electrocuted after it came into contact with it. Forest officials have summoned electricity department officials for further inquiry.
A 2023-24 policy note by the state’s Energy Department had stated that 79 elephants have been electrocuted in Tamil Nadu in the past 10 years. Out of them, 48 deaths (61%) occurred due to illegal electrical fences. The remaining deaths happened when elephants pulled tree branches near transmission lines or hit electric poles.
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