Assam: Two Elephants Electrocuted in Baksa

Two elephants were killed after they came in contact with illegally installed electric fences in Baksa district in Assam near the Bhutan border, a forest official said on Saturday.

The incident took place in the Koroibari area near the Batabari Forest Range on Friday, he said.

The elephants, both adult females, came down from the Bhutan Hills in search of food, he added.

A person, identified as Reshan Daimary, who had allegedly installed the electric fences to protect his crops, surrendered before the police.

An investigation into the incident is underway, the official said.

"Daimary will be taken into custody and booked under the Wildlife Protection Act," he said.

This is the third incident of electrocution of elephants in Assam this year amid a growing human-elephant conflict with illegal electric fences having claimed the lives of 13 jumbos so far, the official said.

ALSO READ: Sarbananda Sonowal Arrives in Guwahati for 3-Day Visit