3 jumbos die in 2 separate incidents

3 jumbos die in 2 separate incidents

 In two separate incidents, three wild elephants were found dead here. While two elephants died of electrocution, another died after being caught in a slush.

On Wednesday, the carcass of two female elephants, aged 19 years and 26 years were found at the farm of M Mani near Ontiangadi in Kannangala Gram Panchayat limits. The elephants died after the branch of a tree fell on the electricity line, that subsequently fell on them. The pachyderms in their bid to feed on the leaves of the branch may have dragged it only to break the same and subsequently fall on the electric line, thus causing the incident.

According to the locals, there were a total of three elephants in the herd. Following the death of two jumbos, the other elephant was whinning and was running amok thus giving anxious moments to villagers. The forest officials who rushed to the spot drove the jumbo  back into the forest, much to the relief of the people.

According to Naveen Kumar Jain, an engineer attached with Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (Cesc), the work on repairing power lines passing through the elephant corridors are under way. However, the proposal on shifting the electricity poles in Kannangala Gram Panchayat limits has already been submitted. The poles are yet to be supplied, he added.

Meanwhile, an elephant calf is suspected to have died after being caught in a slush at a coffee estate in Abhyatmangala village in Valnur--Tyagatthu GP limits on Tuesday.

The carcass of a jumbo, aged about six years, was found in the slush at the coffee estate belonging to Shyam Prasad.

According to veterinarian Dr Uma Shankar, the elephant may have died two days ago.