Seven wild elephants died after being electrocuted when they came in contact with a sagging power line in eastern India, a forest official said Saturday. A herd of elephants was passing through a village in the Dhenkanal Sadar forest range of eastern Orissa state on Friday night when they came in contact with the power line, assistant conservator of forests Jitendranath Das said. The carcasses of the elephants were found by the villagers. The elephants had likely strayed out of their habitat in search of food, Das said. Deforestation, poaching and encroachment by villagers has been boxing in the country's estimated 26,000 wild elephants or causing them to stray from their habitat and reserves.
