Wild elephant electrocuted by illegal live wire in Lakhimpur paddy field

A wild female elephant has been found dead in a paddy field in Assam's Lakhimpur district, apparently killed by a live electric wire that had been illegally strung across the field to keep elephants away from the ripening crop, Northeast Now reported on Monday.

The carcass was found on Diwali morning at No. 1 Ex-Servicemen village in the Bogeebeel-Rampur area, close to the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border and under the Silaneebari police outpost. Preliminary findings suggest the animal was electrocuted on Saturday night.

Possibly a mother

Officials of the Harmutty forest range under the Lakhimpur forest division estimated the elephant's age at 20 to 25 years. They said signs of suckling were found on the carcass, suggesting she may have had a calf.

Forest officials have picked up two local residents, Krishna Bahadur Limbu and Lam Bahadur Limbo, for questioning in connection with the death. No arrest had been reported.

Harvest-season conflict

Rampur-Bogeebeel is one of Lakhimpur's human-elephant conflict hot spots. Herds regularly come down from the hills of neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh into farmland, especially at harvest time, and farmers face heavy losses when they raid paddy fields.

Some farmers have turned to live electric wires to protect their crops, a practice that is illegal and has repeatedly killed elephants in Assam. Conservationists point to habitat loss, fragmentation and the depletion of natural food sources in the forests as the main reasons elephants are moving into settlements.

Not the first such death

Electrocution by illegal fencing has killed elephants in Assam before. In February 2024, four people were held after an illegal electric fence led to an elephant's death, The Sentinel reported at the time. Wildlife groups have long urged the forest and power departments to check unauthorised connections drawn to fields during the harvest months, when the risk is highest.

The state has also been trying community-based approaches. Last week, the forest department announced that 140 "Gaj Mitras", local volunteers trained to track herds and warn villages, would be deployed in Tamulpur district to cut down crop raids and conflict.

The law

Elephants are protected under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and killing one, including by electrocution, is a serious offence.

Forest officials have not yet said whether a case has been registered or whether the calf has been traced. NEInsider will update this story when more details are available.