Guwahati: Illegal live-wire fences erected to protect crops and property were linked to 92% of verified elephant electrocution cases in two elephant reserves in Assam, a new study has found, highlighting a major threat to the state’s wild elephant population.
The study, published in the European Journal of Wildlife Research, analysed elephant electrocution records from 2014 to 2024 in the Chirang–Ripu and Sonitpur Elephant Reserves. Researchers field-verified 50 recorded cases and found that 46 involved illegal live-wire fencing.
Three cases were caused by contact with sagging electricity distribution lines, while one involved a community-managed solar fence.
The findings point to the widespread use of lethal electrified fencing as a means of protecting crops and property in areas where people and elephants share the landscape.
Dhansiri emerges as a hotspot
The study found that electrocution incidents were concentrated in specific parts of the two reserves rather than being evenly distributed across the landscape.
Dhansiri Forest Division recorded the highest number of cases, with 13 incidents, while Haltugaon recorded the lowest, with one. The researchers attributed Dhansiri’s vulnerability to its fragmented forests, extensive paddy cultivation and human settlements along riverine areas.
The two elephant reserves together cover approximately 4,000 sq km and form part of important elephant movement landscapes connecting Assam with Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh.
The researchers used a grid-based modelling approach to examine how electrocution risk was associated with infrastructure, land use and environmental factors.
Paddy season brings higher risk
October to December emerged as the peak period for elephant electrocutions, coinciding with the reproductive and ripening stages of paddy cultivation, when crops become particularly vulnerable to elephant damage.
December recorded the highest average monthly number of incidents, at two, followed by October at 1.78. The study found no incidents in March and April.
The researchers said elephants may enter agricultural areas to forage on paddy during the grain-setting and ripening stages. Farmers may intensify crop-protection measures during this period, including the use of temporary electrical connections and fencing.
The annual figures also showed considerable variation. Recorded incidents were relatively low during 2014–2017, reached a peak of nine in 2020 and subsequently declined to three in 2024.
The researchers cautioned that official mortality records may not capture every electrocution, as some deaths could go undetected or unreported.
Roads and power infrastructure linked to higher risk
The modelling found a positive association between road density and the probability of elephant electrocution. Higher powerline density was also associated with increased risk in one of the competing statistical models.
However, the researchers said roads should not be viewed as a direct cause of electrocution. Greater road density may indicate broader infrastructure expansion, habitat fragmentation and increased human activity, potentially exposing elephants to electrical hazards.
The study also found that areas with greater forest cover and higher vegetation greenness, measured through the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), were associated with lower electrocution risk.
The researchers said forest cover may reduce elephants’ exposure to human-dominated areas where electrical hazards are more common. They cautioned, however, that the analysis did not directly track elephant movements or systematically map illegal fencing across the landscape.
Forest loss adds to the vulnerability
The study’s land-use analysis found substantial changes across the two elephant landscapes between 1995 and 2024.
About 805 sq km of unlogged forest underwent land-cover change. Of this, approximately 479 sq km was converted to riverine paddy fields, 186 sq km to mixed croplands, 140 sq km to tea plantations and degraded forests, and 25 sq km to dense human settlements.
The researchers said the expansion of agriculture and settlements can increase the overlap between elephant habitats and human-use areas, potentially exposing elephants to electrified fences and other electrical infrastructure.
The findings highlight the importance of maintaining forest cover and elephant movement corridors, alongside measures to make electrical infrastructure safer.
Calls for targeted prevention
The researchers called for targeted enforcement against illegal live-wire fencing, particularly around agricultural areas, and safer crop-protection methods.
They also recommended regular inspection and maintenance of electricity distribution infrastructure, improved line clearance and insulation where powerlines overlap with elephant-use areas, and seasonal monitoring during periods of heightened risk.
The authors said future research should combine infrastructure audits, community-based reporting and elephant movement data to identify where and how electrocution risks arise.
The study was conducted by Abhijit Boruah, Subhasish Arandhara, Bibhuti P. Lahkar and Nagarajan Baskaran, using elephant mortality records obtained from the Assam Forest Department and field verification of reported incidents.
The authors stressed that the findings demonstrate associations between electrocution and landscape characteristics, but do not establish that road density, forest loss or proximity to water directly cause elephant deaths. They said local fencing practices and electrical infrastructure conditions require further investigation.