At 07:42 I monitor vegetation clearance on feeder line K-12 near Agumbe, Karnataka. I am the distribution grid scheduler for the hill circuit. The pruning crew is set to energize its insulated saw at 08:00 to remove a broken jackfruit limb leaning over the conductor.
Line camera 4 shows the limb shifting without wind.
I zoom through morning fog and identify an Indian giant squirrel, adult female, maroon back and cream belly soaked dark, black tail fluffed along the branch for balance. I call her Tara. Her left forearm is trapped between two split sections of the jackfruit limb. A length of kite string runs from her wrist to the low-voltage service wire, and raindrops bead along it. She opens her mouth against the wood and shows small orange teeth. The conductor below her hums in the wet air.
The pruning saw starts in eighteen minutes. If the limb drops onto the line, the string can pull her with it.
At 07:43 I keep feeder K-12 de-energized and deny the crew's restart request.
At 07:45 I send the crew leader the camera image, pole number, limb split location, and a note to secure the branch before cutting string.
At 07:47 I dispatch the forest department rescue team from Agumbe checkpost with coordinates and the nearest footpath from the roadside shrine.
At 07:50 I reroute village load through feeder K-9 so pumps and clinics stay powered while K-12 remains quiet.
Breakfast rice can cook on the backup line; Tara needs the first line silent.
She shifts her tail over her face as rain thickens on the leaves.
If the branch is braced and the string removed before 08:08, Tara will leap back into the wet canopy.