Bhubaneswar: Two female elephants and a calf were electrocuted by a live wire trap allegedly set by poachers in Naktideul range under Rairakhol forest division in Sambalpur district. Carcasses of the animals were discovered by villagers around 5:30 am on Monday in Patra jungle near Buramal.
After getting information, forest officials and police immediately rushed to the spot and recovered the electric trap. Preliminary examination revealed the female elephants were under 30 years old, while the calf was aged around 3 years.
“We are conducting a thorough investigation with the joint task force (JTF) team from Bhubaneswar,” said Arabinda Mohanty, divisional forest officer, Rairakhol. “The autopsy will be conducted on Tuesday, and arrests will be made once we get the inquiry reports,” he added.
Regional chief conservator of forests (RCCF), T Ashok Kumar, said that evidence has been collected from the site. “We are tracking the movement of other elephant herds in the area. The poachers’ technique of using barely visible thin wire is under investigation. We are also searching for another calf that got separated from the herd,” he said.
Officials said wild animals often venture into farmlands during the harvest season in search of food. Poachers exploit this pattern of animals by setting up nearly invisible wire traps to hunt wild boar, they added.
Senior forest officials, including Mohanty and Kumar, and JTF team members, were present at the site to oversee the investigation.