States » EastPosted at: Sep 27 2026 4:04PM


Bengal: Three elephants die in suspected power trap in Midnapore

Midnapore, Sep 27 (UNI) Days after fishermen risked their lives to rescue an elephant calf from the raging Teesta and help reunite it with its mother, three elephants—two calves and an adult—were found dead together in a paddy field in West Midnapore’s Junglemahal on Sunday, with suspected electrocution putting the spotlight on a potentially lethal power connection.
The three carcasses were found in the Hartara area under the Ranja beat of the Pirakata range early on Sunday after locals went to the fields for work. The elephants were lying close to one another, triggering an immediate rush of villagers and forest officials to the spot.
The Forest Department has not yet confirmed electrocution as the cause of death. But the circumstances have raised serious questions, as an electricity line had reportedly been taken across the agricultural field to operate a pump.
The immediate question is whether the elephants came into contact with a live wire.
The larger question is why such a potentially dangerous electricity connection was allowed to exist in an area frequented by elephants.
Forest officials said the height and condition of the wire, the manner in which the connection was installed and whether it complied with prescribed safety norms would have to be examined. Whether the connection was authorised and whether it had been inspected earlier are also likely to come under scrutiny.
A forest officer of the Pirakata range said the actual cause of death would be established only after post-mortem examinations. The carcasses have been recovered and preparations for the examinations have begun.
The incident comes against the backdrop of repeated elephant movement through the forest-fringe areas of Junglemahal, where contact between elephants and human settlements is increasingly common. A low-hanging or exposed power line in such a landscape can turn routine agricultural infrastructure into a deadly trap.
The deaths are particularly stark when contrasted with an elephant rescue in north Bengal earlier this week. Fishermen spotted a young elephant calf being swept downstream in the Teesta after it became separated from its herd. They ventured into the river, rescued the struggling calf and handed it over to forest officials, who helped reunite it with its mother.
One elephant was pulled back from the brink by people.
Three others now lie dead, with an electricity line emerging as a possible killer.
If the post-mortem confirms electrocution, the investigation will have to move beyond determining the immediate cause of death. It will have to establish who installed the connection, whether it was legal, whether safety standards were followed and whether the authorities responsible for electricity and wildlife protection had identified the danger, a senior forest official said.
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