A MALE elephant died of electrocution on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday around 2:00 am, in Kathautiya Tola of Malakpur village in the Mauganj district of Rewa. The death of one of the two elephants—which had been roaming the Rewa, Sidhi, and Mauganj areas for about seven months, caused a stir within the Forest Department. On receiving news of the incident, senior Forest Department officials arrived at the site and inspected the area. It was reported that one of the two elephants was fitted with a tracking collar, allowing the Forest Department to continuously monitor its location, while the other elephant was uncollared. The two elephants had separated around 1:30 am on Saturday; while the department continued to receive location updates for the collared elephant, the other moved towards Kathautiya Tola in Malakpur village. Reports indicate that the uncollared elephant had approached a tree near the village to feed. An electric wire running to a villager’s house passed near this tree and was reportedly touching it. As the elephant began eating the leaves, its mouth came into contact with the electric wire, resulting in fatal shock; it died instantly at the spot. When the Forest Department staff did not receive information regarding the location or movement of the second elephant for an extended period, a search operation was launched. Around 4:00 am, the elephant was found dead near a house in Kathautiya Tola, with the electric wire still attached to its body.

 

On learning of the incident, officials including Chief Conservator of Forests Anurag Kumar, Mauganj DFO Lokesh Nirapure, Sidhi DFO Preeti Ahirwar, Sidhi Forest Development Corporation Divisional Manager Rakesh Kodpe, and the Field Director of Bandhavgarh arrived at the scene. A post-mortem examination of the elephant’s carcass was conductedand cause of the elephant’s death was confirmed through a postmortem. Forest Department cremated the carcass in accordance with the prevailing SOPs of NTCA. Following the death of one elephant, the Forest Department is now focusing entirely on the safety of the surviving one. The collared elephant is currently reported to be in the forests near Malakpur. The department is also concerned that the elephant’s behavior might change after being left alone following such a long period of companionship. Hence, residents of nearby villages have been advised to remain alert. Whenever information was received that the elephants were approaching inhabited areas, power supplies from transformers were often cut off to prevent electrocution. However, on Saturday night, when the elephants were located near a hamlet in Malakpur village, the power supply could not be disconnected in time. During this interval, the elephant without the tracking collar approached a tree and died after coming into contact with a live electric wire. According to DFO Lokesh Nirapure, the investigation is ongoing and is being conducted based on several factors.