461 elephants electrocuted between 2009 and 2017

Villagers in Dhenkanal, Odisha, looking at the carcasses of the elephants which died from electrocution. File photo  

States in the eastern and northeastern region of the country have accounted for most of these deaths.

Between August to October 2018, more than a dozen of elephants died of electrocution in the eastern and northeastern part of India, including seven in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district.

While human-elephant conflict remains a major concern for policy makers and conservationists, electrocution of elephants is turning out to be a critical area in the management of India’s elephant population.