Low-hanging Power Lines Claim More Elephant Lives
Sadly the New Year brings with it the distressing news of more elephant electrocutions in Orissa State. Just yesterday Elephant Family heard directly from the Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO) that two female elephants had been electrocuted at the same spot in Keonjhar District where poorly-maintained, low-hanging power lines claimed the lives of three elephants last summer.
The Asian elephant is truly facing a grave and increasing threat from electrocution in Orissa. At the end of 2010, official records showed that 86 wild elephants had died in the state due to electrocution over a ten-year period. Unofficially, it is believed that this number could be as high as 150.
Elephant Family has recently partnered with WSO and the Wildlife Protection Society of India to reduce such deaths in Orissa. We are currently campaigning to ensure that electricity companies flouting regulations pull up their sagging high-tension wires and take steps to guarantee pylons are elephant-proof, using methods such as barbed wire (to prevent elephants using the poles as scratching posts) and reinforced concrete foundations.
Biswajit Mohanty of WSO (pictured above with Elephant Family founder Mark Shand in front of a poorly maintained power cable) said that “due to the uncaring attitude and desire to cut costs by the electricity companies, such incidents are continuing every month in our state.”
It has been reported that two employees from Northern Electricity Supply Company (NESCO) have been arrested in relation to the recent incident. We are therefore optimistic that these arrests will act as a catalyst that will see companies such as NESCO take active steps to ensure they are not slaughtering elephants through their own negligence.
Unless the companies in question begin to take responsibility for the death traps that they are creating then the endangered wild elephants in Orissa will continue to be exposed to further electrocution, which has become one of the foremost threats they face in this region.
written by Jo Cary-Elwes on 28th January 11
