The carcasses of the animals were recovered by forest officials on Saturday evening from near a field in Intwaya village.

Sources said the field near which the lions died was close to the forest and this pair, which was mating, strayed near the field and were immediately electrocuted.

Forest officials estimate the incident may have occurred about a fortnight back but the villager buried the lions nearby without informing anyone. However, other villagers who came to know about it informed forest officials and a raid was conducted. According to Dhari range Deputy Forest Officer K S Randhawa, the carcasses of the two lions were recovered with the nails and body parts intact. ``The post-mortem report suggests that both the lions died of high voltage electric shocks. Though it was not poaching, the intention to harm the animals was there. We have recovered all the 36 nails of the two lions.''

Villagers with fields near the forests have been illegally putting up electric fences as protection from the wild animals. ``Putting up electric fences is illegal and it is a major crime under the Wildlife Protection Act if the fencing is done in a forest area,'' Randhawa said.

Randhawa said they were yet to ascertain why the lions strayed to the periphery of the forest. ``They were not entirely outside the forest area. In fact, it was a revenue village within the range where these lions were mating, but they had moved out too far. We are still trying to find out why the lions strayed so near the village. It could be because they were mating and had made this area their territory. Another possible reason could be the water problem,'' Randhawa said.

Forest officials said villagers with fields in the forest area were resorting to illegal practices like putting up live wire fences and poisoning the water to discourage animals from straying into the fields.

``The villagers simply suspend a live wire from a high voltage cable and join it with iron rods placed around the field which forms a crude and highly dangerous fencing. Death is instant for whoever comes in contact with the fencing. In fact, even unsuspecting humans have died in this manner,'' says DFO Randhawa.

Forest officials say a villager who had put up a similar fencing in Dhari got electrocuted himself and died recently.

Crime and punishment
The villager who put up the electric fencing which killed the two lions is absconding, but forest officials, who are confident of arresting him in a couple of days, have a strong case against him. Setting up such electric fences in protected area is illegal and a serious crime under the Wildlife Protection Act. Under section 51 of the WPA, the accused can face upto a minimum of two years and a maximum of seven years imprisonment, which is likely in this case.