Krishnagiri District (Tamil Nadu) [India], November 22 (ANI): Forest officers on Tuesday arrested a farmer in the Krishnagiri district, accused of digging a hole and burying a four-year-old baby elephant, who died of electrocution, without informing the forest department, officials said.
Ellappa (63), a farmer from Kadur village near Hosur Krishnagiri district, has illegally fenced his paddy field with electric fences to keep out wild boars.
A few days ago, the wild elephants’ herd with their calves came out of the Oodedurgam forest area and went near the paddy field of Ellappa. At that time a 4-year-old male elephant got caught in the electric fence set up for wild boar and died miserably.
“Seeing this the farmer Ellappa dug a hole and buried the baby elephant’s body in the nearby farmland with the help of his sons without informing the forest department. The people of Kadur village have come to know about this incident. There is also a strong stench in the area. The Rayakottai Forest Department led by District Forest Officer Karthikeyini, who got the information from the villagers, went to the area yesterday and conducted an investigation. They confirmed that the baby elephant got stuck in the electric fence and died and the farmer buried it by digging a pit, After this, the forest department took away the fences around the place where the baby elephant was buried,” Karthikeyini, District Forest Officer said.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of forest department led by Karhikeyini, with the help of the Coimbatore Forest Department excavated the body of the baby elephant with the help of a JCB machine in the area. Later Autopsy was conducted of the baby elephant’s body at the same place.
“The wild elephant, which was caught in the electric fence was about 4 to 6 years old and the tusks were taken from its body. The forest department arrested Ellappa under the Wildlife Act for causing the death of a baby elephant by fencing the paddy field with an electric current and digging a pit to bury it without informing anyone.
“The forest department is searching for Ellappa’s sons who helped Ellappa to dig a hole and bury the baby elephant’s body in the farmland. When the villagers came to know that the baby elephant’s body was being exhumed, they flocked to the area, officials said further. (ANI)
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