In Tamil Nadu, an elephant has a higher chance of dying of electrocution than of old age and starvation put together, according to the data made public by the Forest Department from its Elephant Death Audit Framework.
The framework prescribes a standard protocol for conducting post-mortem to determine the reasons for death and is aimed at understanding the circumstances in cases of preventable and unnatural deaths. According to the data, unnatural causes, primarily electrocution, were behind more than one in every 10 elephant deaths. Since 2010, 128 animals have died of electrocution — with 76 cases of electrocution being “intentional” — which occurred as the result of negative interactions with humans. The other unnatural causes are poaching, poisoning, gunshots as well as train and road accidents.
