Elephant Electrocution Along Border On The Rise

The incidents of wild elephants getting electrocuted is on the rise along Bangladesh’s border since farmers have started installing generators and electric wires to protect their paddy fields from attacks by elephants coming from across the border.

Official sources say two wild elephants were found dead in the frontier area of Sreebardi upazila in Sherpur in this month (Oct 6 and 8). Both the elephants died after they came in contact with live wire placed on an Aman paddy field to protect it from animals.

On August 13, another elephant was found dead at Haluahati village in Sreebardi upazila.

“The incidents of wild elephants falling victims to electrocution has recently marked a rise as farmers are increasingly installing generators and electric wires in their paddy fields to save their crops from elephants that come from Indian side,” said Jahidul Kabir, forest conservator of Wildlife and Nature Conservation here.

He said three elephants were electrocuted recently in Sherpur while another was killed in 2015.