Angul: Elephant Death, Man-Animal Conflict, Solar Fencing, Angul Forest, Wildlife Protection, Illegal Electric Fencing

A 15-year-old tusker died on the spot after it came into contact with a live wire at a mango orchard at Talasira village under Bantala forest range on Friday night. The orchard owner, Ranjan Kumar Sahoo, was arrested on Saturday.

Angul circle Regional Chief Conservator of Forests Sanjay Kumar Swain said Ranjan fitted solar fencing around his orchard with an undertaking that he would not charge electricity. On Friday evening, the forest officials went to his solar fencing site and found that the fencing was not charged.

Ranjan, however, later confessed that he had charged the solar fencing with electricity in a bid to keep elephant herds away from his crop. After getting information, senior forest officials rushed to the spot and nabbed Ranjan A post-mortem examination of the tusker was conducted by a team of doctors.

Bantala forest range has been in the news for frequent man-animal conflict. As of now, there are 35 elephants in the range area.