A 30-year-old male wild elephant was electrocuted on January 19, 2026, in a mango orchard next to Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary near Gangavaram mandal headquarters in Chittoor district. The elephant had been moving across six villages in Palamaner and Gangavaram mandals for weeks. It had recently separated from a herd that crossed from Karnataka. While pulling down a flowered mango branch, the elephant touched a live overhead power line and was electrocuted. District Forest Officer G. Subburaj told The Hindu the incident was reported at 1:30 pm and the autopsy arrangements are underway. The elephant’s body will be buried on January 20 at the spot. This death is the first elephant casualty in 2026. In 2025, three elephants died, and about 30 have died in the last decade. Farmers have asked forest officials to work with APSPDCL to raise low-hanging power cables and transformers to avoid more such accidents.