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Wild Elephant Electrocuted in Coimbatore; Severe Burn Injuries on Trunk Raise Safety Concerns

SimpliCity News Team · 08 May 2026

Coimbatore: The elephant was discovered with severe burn injuries, particularly on its trunk, raising fresh concerns over the safety and maintenance of electrical infrastructure in areas adjoining forest habitats.

Forest Department officials said they received information at around 8.40 a.m. about an elephant lying dead inside a mango grove near the Vennal Perumal Temple sector, close to the Boluvampatti Block–1 reserve forest boundary.

A team comprising forest personnel and veterinary experts rushed to the location and retrieved the carcass for preliminary examination. Initial findings confirmed extensive burn injuries on the trunk, indicating that the elephant may have come into contact with a high-tension power installation or a low-hanging live electric line.

Officials suspect the animal died of electrocution at the spot.

Senior officials from the Forest Department and the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board have initiated a joint investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the incident. Authorities are examining whether there was any technical malfunction in the transformer installed on the farm premises or if electrical connections had been laid in violation of prescribed safety regulations.

Sources indicated that stringent action would be initiated under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, if negligence or regulatory violations are established during the inquiry.

Wildlife activists have repeatedly flagged the threat posed by unsafe electric fencing and poorly maintained power lines in forest fringe areas, where elephants frequently move in search of food and water.

The latest incident in Coimbatore has once again underscored the urgent need for stricter monitoring and safer power infrastructure in ecologically sensitive zones to prevent further loss of wildlife.

elephant electric fence death wildlife forest department crop damage Madukkarai human-animal conflict Karadimaadai

மேட்டுப்பாளையத்தில் தொடரும் ஒற்றை காட்டுயானை அட்டகாசம்; ஒரு வாரத்தில் ஆயிரத்திற்கும் மேற்பட்ட வாழை, தென்னை நாசம்

28 Jun 2020

Wild Elephant Electrocuted in Coimbatore; Severe Burn Injuries on Trunk Raise Safety Concerns

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