Study committee calls Ronaldo the elephant’s death an accident, urges removal of risky power lines

Chitwan, October 16

A study committee formed after the death of the wild elephant Ronaldo in Chitwan National Park has recommended removing dilapidated and hazardous electrical structures from the park and its buffer zone.

Ronaldo, a 45-year-old bull elephant, died on September 19 after chewing a dangling electric wire at a Nepali Army post near Bishhazari Tal in the Barandabhar area. The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation formed the committee on September 21, led by senior research officer Dr Ganesh Pant.

The committee found that 39 of the 58 posts in the park, including army posts, are supplied by cable, and that some of the wiring is old and unsafe for animals.

It advised against supplying power over wires across distances longer than 2 km, suggesting underground cables or solar power instead. It also recommended keeping wires out of wildlife’s reach, not attaching them to trees animals favour, and coordinating with the Nepal Electricity Authority each year to monitor and report.

The committee concluded that Ronaldo’s death was an accident rather than negligence. Pant said the wire was not weak and was at a height, and no vines the elephants like were seen nearby. Still, he said, precautions are needed, and the risk from power lines along highways through dense forest also needs a serious review.

Ronaldo had ruled the Khorsor elephant breeding centre for more than 12 years, and conservationists say his death is a serious loss to wildlife conservation in Chitwan.

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