Cuttack, May 12: Maneka Gandhi’s People for Animals (PFA) has demanded an inquiry into the death of three bears due to electrocution at Baraghat reserve forest in Balangir on May 9.

The demand was made through a memorandum to the state’s minister for forests and environment yesterday.

According to the memorandum, the reserve forests and irrigation areas become the habitation of wild animals especially during the summer. But local wildlife officials had not taken any measures for the protection of animals.

No measures were apparently taken to protect animals from coming in contact with power distributions lines drawn through wildlife habitat areas. The death of the three bears was a consequence of lapses on the part of personnel of both wildlife department and the electricity supply company in the area.

“Under the circumstances, we demand for an inquiry into the cause of the death of the three bears and the people who are responsible for the death,” said J.B. Das, secretary of PFA’s Orissa unit.

Bears are schedule1 animal according to the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. “The culprits who are responsible should be punished as per the Act,” Das urged.In another memorandum, the PFA Orissa unit also urged the minister for forest and environment to ensure that wildlife officials across the state take desired steps to ensure adequate water for wild animals during summer.

The situation is not restricted to the Dhenkanal region. Animals are dying in other parts of the state as water bodies had dried up.