Few days back I came across a mind boggling news in national daily of UAE. It was regarding large scale electrocution of animals in India in order to trap them. Stringent laws by the government of India against poaching of animals has led to hunting becoming very difficult in many parts of India but this has given rise to the use of easier methods of poaching animals. Electrocution is turning into the preferred method to trap wild animals across India.

 Wildlife lovers and experts say that while poisoning, shooting, foot-traps (snares) and even explosive-traps are among some of the popular poaching methods in Indian forests, electrocution is on the rise because it goes mostly undetected and animals die quickly.

 According to experts, while shooting is risky and poisoning often harms cattle, leading to an uproar from the villagers, electrocution is a silent way that mostly goes undetected.

 Among these incidents, the most recent ones include two elephants, one tigress, two leopards and one sloth bear were killed due to electrocution in different areas on India. Only strong intelligence and active surveillance can stop animal being electrocuted.

 Sometimes, elephants get electrocuted accidentally while reaching out to leaves when they touch the loosely hanging wire. Wires often hang loose due to the long distance between the electric poles in forests.

Electrocution is a method in which a wired trap or fence, mostly powered by a high tension electric line passing nearby in the forests, is used to kill the animals, either for poaching or to protect fields from herbivores. The electric wires are either placed on the preferred routes of the animals or passed through the water bodies used by animals.

Wildlife experts say instances of electrocution are on the rise and despite the 2005 guidelines of the Supreme Court?s Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to the State Electricity Boards and Forest Departments to strengthen security to prevent poaching by electrocution, nothing much has been done.

According to the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), while every year at least 20 elephants die due to electrocution, 43 elephants were killed in 2016 itself.

Animals are an indispensable part of the flora and fauna of our ecology. Human life cannot sustain without wild life around them as it balances our food chain. The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 provides for the protection of wild animals, birds and plants. However comprehensive measures are needed to spread awareness against poaching of animals especially amongst the native local people.

Inputs- Gulf News, photo credit - Gulf News