COIMBATORE: A 10-year-old tusker was electrocuted to death on a farmland fence at Kadayaratti in Bargur hills in the Erode district on Thursday morning. The animal was found dead on the fence of the farmland owned by Vairavan, where he cultivates maize and coconut.
An investigation revealed that the farmer had allegedly given direct power supply to his fence to protect crops from wild animals. Farmers had already submitted a petition to forest department officials, urging them to take steps to prevent the entry of wild boars and elephants into farmlands, as they had extensively damaged crops in the last two months.
"To protect his crops, the farmer had initially laid a fence and given a power supply using a battery, which would not electrocute animals. However, it was damaged by the animals. Subsequently, the farmer gave a direct power supply, which caused the giant animal to die when it came in contact with the live wire," a forest official said.
The postmortem was carried out by S Sadhasivam of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), and after the procedure, the animal was buried nearby.
"The power fence on the site owned by Vairavan was inspected by a forest patrolling team on November 23, during which it was found that a 12-volt battery system with an energiser was being used to supply DC current. As per the Tamil Nadu Power Fences (Registration and Regulation) Rules 2023, this setup did not comply with the required standards. As a result, the farmer had already been issued a notice, and further action is in process," forest department officials said.
An officer said, "In Erode forest division, 645 fences have been identified, of which 49 individuals have been granted permits. Many remaining fences were found to be non-compliant with the law, and their owners had been given time to rectify them to prevent such accidents. Forest patrol teams regularly inspect power fences in villages adjoining forest boundaries using specialised equipment to ensure that no high voltage AC current is being used. Despite continuous monitoring and supervision, this unfortunate incident has happened."
The forest department reiterated that all farmers in fringe villages of the forest must register their power fences and ensure they are installed in accordance with specifications set out in the Tamil Nadu Power Fences (Registration and Regulation) Rules 2023.
"Every fence must also be fitted with an automatic trip mechanism to disconnect power in the event of accidental leakage. This is essential to prevent fatal electrocution of both wildlife and people working in agricultural fields. Any violation of these Rules constitutes an offence under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Offenders, upon conviction, are liable for rigorous imprisonment of not less than three years and up to seven years," the official added.
