Two elephants electrocuted to death in Darjeeling

Two elephants were electrocuted to death in West Bengal's Darjeeling district over the weekend.

The bodies of an adult and a smaller aged elephant were found lying near an electric pole after which locals alerted forest officials to come and take the carcasses away.

Darjeeling district is surrounded by tea gardens which is also a common corridor for elephants.

District Forest Officer (DFO) Sunil Rail said, "It has happened due to high tension wire. It is a corridor of elephants, and hence, you can see them trespassing here frequently. Yesterday, it was raining, so probably electric shock could be the reason behind their deaths."

Increasing human population has depleted the habitat of wild animals, forcing them to stray into human settlements, attacking people and often getting killed in return.