Female Elephant Electrocuted, Male Companion Turns Aggressive In MP’s Mauganj

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A female elephant died after coming in contact with a live electric wire in Malakpur village of Mauganj forest circle on Saturday morning.

The male elephant accompanying her has been behaving aggressively following her death.

The two elephants had been moving for the past few months between Rewa, Mauganj and Sidhi districts.

They had come from Bandhavgarh and travelled as far as the forest areas of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh before recently returning towards Mauganj and Sidhi.

Sources said the female elephant came in contact with the live wire during the night and died instantly due to electrocution. When forest officials reached the spot to remove the carcass, the male elephant behaved aggressively. Fearing the animal, villagers moved to higher ground.

The post-mortem examination of the elephant was conducted as per protocol.

This is the second death of a female elephant within a month. On Aug 10, a 46-year-old female elephant, 'Smita', died in Satpura Tiger Reserve due to deep wounds sustained in an attack by a male elephant.

Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey alleged negligence by the Sidhi district forest officer (DFO), claiming that the officer failed to properly monitor the elephant pair. He demanded a high-level inquiry and suspension of the DFO.

Dubey also raised concerns over the safety of three more elephants roaming in Seoni, Maihar, Chhindwara and Betul.