A tusker was reportedly electrocuted under the Binika Forest Division of Odisha's Sonepur district on Tuesday.

The death of the tusker was reported just five days after a tusker was reportedly mowed down by a train under the Jarapada forest range in Angul district. The tusker was run over by Sambalpur-Shalimar Mahima Gosain Express on April 6 night while crossing the railway tracks.

In the latest case, the tusker came in contact with the live electric wire which was laid for poaching wild boar in the Binika Forest Division, about 270km from here. When the tusker came outside the core forest area and moved towards a village in search of food in the wee hours, it came in contact with the electric wire and died on the spot.

The locals reached the spot and later informed the forest officials.

Forest officials have reached the spot and started the investigation. They seized the electric wire trap which was laid across half a kilometre area. “We have launched a probe to find out those who laid the trap,” said the official.

Two incidents of tuskers dying of electrocution were reported from Dhenkanal respectively in October 2022 and March 2023. Worried over the rise in the case, the high court intervened and asked the government what steps it had taken to curb the elephant deaths.

The state has reported 784 elephant deaths in a span of 10 years between 2012-13 and 2021-22. As per the state forest and environment minister Pradeep Kumar Amat, 82 elephants died in 2012-13 and the number of elephants’ deaths consistently increased and went up to 86 in 2021-22.

“The state government conducted an investigation into 39 elephant death incidents and filed chargesheets against 50 people during the period.

"However, not a single accused has been convicted in these cases so far,” the minister informed the Assembly in a written reply in March.