Part of: GS Prelims and GS – I – Geography & GS – III – Environment
In news
Recently, 18 elephants died on a hilltop in Assam.
The preliminary post-mortem report indicates they had been struck by lightning.
Important value additions
The Indian elephant
One of three extant recognised subspecies of the Asian elephant and native to mainland Asia
IUCN Red List: Endangered
The wild population has declined by at least 50% since the 1930s
Threats: by loss, degradation and fragmentation of its habitat
It is included in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972
How does lightning kill animals
Lightning may injure or kill animals in a number of ways such as:
Direct Flash: An animal in an open field may be struck directly by lightning if part of its body protrudes over other objects in the vicinity. Taller animals are more vulnerable.
Side Flash: When lightning strikes a tall object such as a tree, it may generate a side flash that can strike an animal standing underneath the tree.
Touch Potential: If one part of a tall animal’s body is in contact with the ground while another part, at a higher elevation, comes in contact with a lightning-struck object, a partial current may pass through its body.
Step Potential: The most common lightning hazard among four-legged animals. When an animal’s front and hind feet are far enough apart, a partial current may pass through the body in certain circumstances.
Since an elephant’s front and hind feet are wide apart, it would appear to make it more vulnerable than a smaller animal, such as a rat.
The Bamuni Hill in Assam, where the elephants died, has no tall trees that could have taken the brunt of the lightning strike.
