Elephant electrocuted by live wire in Jharkhand's Latehar

A wild elephant was electrocuted to death in the Latehar district of Jharkhand after coming into contact with an electrified wire. The incident occurred in Kusi Tola of Komar village under the Balumath police station area.

Local reports indicate that a villager, identified as Bifa Oraon, had installed exposed electric wires around his home and maize fields to protect his property from a herd of approximately 15 elephants that had been active in the region for several weeks. The elephant died on the spot upon contact with the live wire during the night.

Forest Department officials and Balumath Police have launched an investigation into the incident. Forest Ranger Nand Kumar Mehta stated that a post-mortem examination will be conducted and authorities are investigating how the electricity was supplied to the fence. Officials have urged residents to avoid using dangerous methods like electrified fences to manage human-elephant conflict.