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Animal lovers outraged over pachyderm
electrocution in Jalpaiguri
by Pallav Basu

      Jalpaiguri: Animal lovers and activists in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri District are furious over the death of a 20-year-old male elephant through electrocution in the village of Dhamsigara. The pachyderm was attempting to cross an electrically-wired fence illegally put up by villagers here. The incident has left animal lovers both agitated and stunned. "A group of 10-15 elephants had come near Dhamsigara village. But one of them tried to go beyond the canal and died on the spot after touching the fencing, which was erected just after the canal. The elephant was 20 years old and it looks as if it was not a natural death," said M.R Balooch, the Conservator of Forests, Northern Circle, West Bengal. Outraged animal activists are holding the villagers responsible for the pachyderm's death. They have demanded stern action against the villagers and a thorough investigation into the incident by the forest department and the district electricity board. "We demand an enquiry into the incident and action against the villagers who had erected the fence illegally. We want that illegal use of fencing should be stopped immediately," said Animesh Bose, co-ordinator, Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation (HNAF), a non-government organisation.

     According to HNAF volunteers, at most times, pulsating energy (alternating current- AC) of 8,000 to 10,000 volts is connected to the fence. It gives a temporary shock to an animal that prompts it to keep away. But the villagers tapped power directly from the high-tension pole, which resulted in the death of the elephant. Elephants are found almost all over India except the high mountain regions of the Himalayas and coastal sea water mangroves. Deforestation and encroachment of habitat due to human settlements have led to a man-animal conflict, ultimately resulting in the gradual extinction of these intelligent species. Due to loss of corridors and habitat, elephants in India are at present have scattered in more than 15 States and their estimated population stands anywhere between 15,000 and 20,000. In West Bengal, elephants are distributed in two distinct zones of North Bengal and South Bengal. The elephants in South Bengal are mostly migratory and visit patch forests of Medinipur, Purulia and Bankura district from Dalma in Bihar. In North Bengal, more than 200 elephants are distributed in more than 3000 sq. km. Of diverse forest areas. In Buxa Tiger Reseve, Teesta and Rorsa river areas, Baikumthapur, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri and Coochbehar forest divisions, elephants are compelled to move through tea gardens, villages and agricultural fields killing over 60 persons annually. The man-animal conflict in the eastern part of India has become alarming. In June this year, a herd of 20 wild elephants, including two wild tuskers ravaged the Regional Plant Resources Centre in Bhubaneswar, Orissa. The herd pulled down the centre's wall and ransacked the greenhouse. IN 1999, at least 20 people, including a child were killed by rampaging elephants in the state.
-Aug 1,  2006

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