It is no secret that with the human population booming around the world, there has been a drastic loss of natural habitats for animals. Human expansion, through the development of buildings and farmland, carries with it difficulties as wildlife is pushed farther and farther into smaller, inhabitable space.
Unlike humans, animals are unaware of boundaries like fences and county lines, and often roam beyond safe distances in search of food and water. This causes human-animal conflict, which leads to destruction of property and even death of both humans and animals.
In India, one of the most notable human-animal conflicts stems from “crop raiding” by elephants. According to World Wildlife Fund, up to 300 humans and 50 elephants are killed over crop land in India every single year. Some of these deaths occur from direct human-elephant interaction, but many, for humans and elephants, are the result of electric fencing.
Since June of 2017 alone, over ten elephants in the state of Karnataka in south India were electrocuted and killed this way. Some of these elephants were not roaming from the nearby forests; some were in wildlife sanctuaries adjacent to farms. Illegal electric fencing by farmers, as well as neglected sagging live wires, are causing a alarming number of deaths to the gentle giants.
In Karnataka, an elephant was electrocuted in Tanigebailu Wildlife Range in Chikkamagaluru district just this past Monday, bringing the number of jumbo deaths by electrocution in this state alone to ten in three months.
Wildlife activist G Veeresh states, “This is the fourth such incident in this region as elephants are electrocuted frequently. More than three leopards were also snared in this area. Even people have died by electrocution.”
In the Kodago district of Karnataka, a family of four elephants were electrocuted to death by low-hanging wires surrounding a coffee farm.
These saddening, avoidable incidents must be addressed, and while officials have been negligent in the past, there are plans for forest department officials to bring up the issue with the Chamundeshwari Electricity Corporation Ltd. (CESC), according to The Hindu.
With habitat destruction only increasing globally, we must find better solutions to how we treat wild animals in our surrounding neighborhoods. Electric fencing is clearly not the answer to protecting crops, buildings, or people. Elephant populations are already at severe risk due to poaching, and this unsafe method of protecting commercial interests is only worsening the issue. Hopefully, measures will indeed be taken to ensure the safety of both people and elephants in India and the death toll caused by needless electrocution will come to an end.

What a tragic loss — STOP the neglectful ways by putting animals in extreme danger leading to terrible suffering and premature death — again, what a tragic, torturous death.
Talk about evil babaric human behavior. Those grand creatures could have been relocated.
Time for INDIA TO MAKE CHANGES
SOOOOOOO. WRONG
against ‘all’ abuse & cruelty, show respect, this has got to ‘stop’
We must protect our wildlife.
Lord as if they aren’t poached enough, captured for a miserable life in circuses . I could go on and on…..
The electric fencing needs to be outlawed, and patrols of some type to enforce this. Why doesn’t some elephant sanctuary or organization educate farmers & villages about bees and supply hives? It is met with great success in Africa.
I said it before the human race is not going to be happy until every animal, all the fish and all the birds, everything living thing that mother nature provided us as beauty humans are not going to be happy until there all gone. One herd one pack one by one were are taking them all out by any means necessary in order for the people to survive at any cost. You can’t keep pushing animals to smaller parts of the land because of their diets what’s good for one is not suitable for another and wild animals do roam for food that’s a given. Use your heads people. And with this being said why were the electric fences so close to the sanctuaries in the first place. Why did the elephants have to pay the price with their lives before it even happened. When fences started going up that’s when they should have been checked and not allowed just because of being close to the sanctuary. But this is what I mean Nothing is done until after animals die so inappropriate. This is how we are living disgusting.
I cant believe this is happening…
I have shared this with some of my animal frieds from India to makes ure that they are aware that this is happening. I know that there are many amazing people in India caring deeply for animals. Thank God the number of animal friends are increasing day by day.
Indians are by and large not animal lovers. Indians care only for their own interests. For most Indians it hardly makes any difference whether elephants were electrocuted or run over by trains or whether leopards were beaten to death or whether bears were chased and killed. The government of Karnataka state in India is as callous and indifferent towards wildlife protection and conservation just like any other state in India. To make matters worse, Indian politicians are absolutely indifferent towards animal welfare in general and wildlife conservation is a far cry.
Will humans not stop until every single wild animal is extinct? India and other over populated countries should start using birth control – the population is growing way too much. The world has not enought ressources (space and food) for more than 7 billion people.
SO SICK OF EVIL ANIMAL ABUSERS IN THIS WORLD!!!! TORTURE AND KILL THEM ALL!!! WHY THE FK CANT THIS PATHETIC WORLD HAVE JUSTICE FOR ANIMALS??!! WIPE THESE PSYCHO ASSHOLES OFF THE PLANET ASAP!!!!!
ONCE AGAIN IGORANCE PREVAILS, THE ELEPHANTS WERE DESTROYING OUR CROPS ETC. HEY THE ELEPHANTS WERE THERE FIRST. MURDERS DONT EVEN GET THIS HANOUS END. THE UN MUST STAND AND SPEAK, ENFORCE SANCTIONS FOR THE CREATURES OF THE WORLD. AND WHEN IGORANT, EVIL SOULS KILL AND MAME, severe consequences MUST BE IN PLACE .
IAM SERIOUSLY AT A LOSS FOR WORDS.
EXCEPT THE GALARNEAU FAMILY IS REQUESTING FULL PROSECUTION AND NO EXCUSES ON BEHALF OF ALL THE WORLDS CREATURES.
DEBRA GALARNEAU
Why can’t they get their act together and act responsibly? There is a wonderful solution to all these problems. Humans could drastically cut down on their birth rate.
THESE FENCES HAVE TO COME DOWN. THE ELEPHANTS MUST BE PROTECTED. PLEASE SEND PETITION FOR US TO SIGN. THANKYOU.
They need to find a better way to protect their crops. The sagging wires need to be repaired. Anyone that puts up an electric fence on or that borders a wild life park and kills or injures innocent elephants or other animals needs to be put to death. If they haven’t killed or inured innocent elephants or other animals then they need to be imprisoned.
It does not sound like this method is effective at all and is only causing a great deal of harm and suffering to these beautiful and magnificent elephants.
Considering there are too many people on the planet, we should be reducing the human population so our magnificent animal life has room to roam freely. Time for mankind to practice giving not taking…
The people who install the electric fences should be arrested and fined.
Where’s a petition for this issue? To stop these idiots from doing this?
This is beyond cruel & sad what the hell is wrong with mankind killing anything with a whim or do they do it just because they can? Maybe they should remember elephants were here first!
I do agree with you and don’t understand the brain of any body who thinks this way.We are all here together so we must try harder to look after each other.Lance