Kolkata, September 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Three elephants, including a mother and her two calves, were found dead in a paddy field at Salboni in West Bengal’s West Midnapore district on Sunday, with preliminary findings indicating that the animals may have been electrocuted after coming into contact with a high-tension power wire.
Local villagers spotted the carcasses in the morning and informed the forest department. According to local sources, a herd of elephants had been moving through the village when the three animals apparently came into contact with a live wire linked to an electric pump used for irrigation.
Forest department officials reached the spot and began an investigation. Officials said the exact cause of death would be established after post-mortem examinations.
The incident has again raised concerns over the use of electrically energised fencing and exposed power lines around agricultural land in Jangalmahal, a major elephant habitat in West Bengal.
A state forest department official said elephant electrocution deaths had occurred in the region in the past, with some farmers allegedly using electric wires around fields to protect crops.
“In the past, elephants died in these forest areas due to electrocution. There had been a lot of uproar about that. There has been a common tendency among farmers in the region to surround their farmlands with electric wires to protect their crops,” the official said.
Last month, a middle-aged tusker died in Alipurduar district after reportedly coming into contact with an illegally energised fence erected around farmland in Falakata block.
The forest department has previously taken steps to prevent villagers from installing such fences, particularly because they pose a risk to elephants moving in herds between forest areas. According to the official, offenders have also been penalised in the past, but the practice has continued in parts of the region.
The latest deaths are now being investigated to determine the precise circumstances surrounding the electrocution and whether any safety or legal violations were involved.
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