COIMBATORE: A 25-year-old tusker was electrocuted after it came in contact with a high-tension electric line in a private garden near Madukkarai forest range in Coimbatore district in the early hours of Friday.According to forest department officials, the tusker reportedly grabbed a wire from a three-phase 22kV high-tension line connected to a transformer pole located in the garden, which is located about 100 metres from the Boluvampatti block-I reserve forest.The transformer, which supplies electricity to a local borewell, was reportedly installed at a height that made it accessible to the animal.“The elephant pulled one of the three phases of the HT line, leading to electrocution. A burn injury is found on its trunk,” a forest official said.Standard safety norms require transformer poles to be 25ft high, with the HT unit placed at a minimum height of 10ft. However, forest authorities said these specifications may not be adequate in areas frequented by tall tuskers.They said the forest department had earlier written to the electricity board, seeking to correct the low-hanging wires in the Madukkarai range. While several lines were reportedly rectified, the executive engineer at the site maintained that the transformer involved in the incident was installed at the prescribed height.Officials also noted that elephants usually avoid transformers because of the constant humming sound.A team of forest veterinarians conducted a postmortem on the spot, and the carcass was left in the forest for scavengers. An inquiry is under way to examine whether additional safety measures, including raising the height of transformers or fencing them, are needed to prevent similar deaths in future.
