Overview
- Two young elephants were found dead on November 2 near farmland in Sulegali, Khanapur taluk, with officials pointing to contact with an electrified fence or live wire.
- Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre directed the Chief Wildlife Warden to file findings within five days, warning of legal action and possible disciplinary measures if negligence is found.
- Police registered a case and arrested landowner Ganapati Sateri Gurav in connection with the fence, while his son, Shivaji Gurav, was reported absconding by a senior forest official.
- Forest teams and senior officers visited the site, a post‑mortem is pending, and inquiries are examining reports that standard protocols like precautionary power cutoffs were not followed.
- Conservationists say the incident fits a pattern of conflict‑related elephant deaths in northern Karnataka, citing seven fatalities in a decade, including three this year.