Bhubaneswar: Two elephants, including a calf, were electrocuted by an illegally electrified trap near a paddy field in the Kamakhyanagar area of Dhenkanal district on Saturday. One person has been detained.The adult female and its calf came in contact with a live wire about 15 km from Dhenkanal town. Preliminary findings indicated that part of a solar fence around a farmer’s field had been illegally connected to electricity, allegedly to kill wild animals for meat.Divisional forest officer (Dhenkanal) Lalit Patra said the elephants had become separated from their herd and were moving through the area. “Post-mortem has been conducted and the report is awaited. We are investigating how the fence was electrified and who was responsible,” Patra said.The deaths came days after a 20-year-old tusker was electrocuted near Similipal Tiger Reserve under Baripada forest division on Monday. Officials said it accidentally touched an unregulated solar fence around a paddy field. The fence, intended to prevent crop damage, had reportedly been illegally connected to electricity.Following three elephant deaths from electrocution in less than a week, wildlife experts called for stricter monitoring of electric fencing and power theft in rural areas.Wildlife activist Biswajit Mohanty urged authorities to coordinate with the energy department to introduce an automatic power-failure mechanism that would cut electricity when high-tension lines are illegally tapped to energise fences.The recurring tragedies also highlight the risks posed by unauthorised electrical connections. On Oct 31, a farmer and his son were electrocuted while guarding crops from wild animals in a paddy field at Hirapur village under Nachuni police limits in Khurda district.