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| Friday, 14 May 2004 |
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The Environment and Natural Resources Ministry referring to reports in certain sections of the media regarding elephant deaths at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, said these deaths had occurred due to natural causes beyond their control and not due to any negligence on the part of staff attached to the orphanage. The ministry in a press release said the acting Director of Zoological Gardens, R. Bandaranayake had reported that the she elephant named Kirimenika referred to in these reports was handed over to the Dehiwala Zoological Gardens by the Department of Wildlife Conservation on October 3, 1989. The zoological gardens in turn handed over the elephant to the Pinnawala Orphanage on November 29, 1989. Kirimenika had difficulty in swallowing solid food due to a physical debility inherited from birth. She mostly depended on milk food. All solids given were munched and the residue spat out after drinking the essence. As a result, her physical growth retarded and she fell seriously ill regularly. Many times her life was saved due to expert medical care and attention given to her. On May 9 morning Kirimenika had refused to take even her morning milk quota and found difficulty to defecate. Dr. Neville de Silva, senior lecturer attached to the Peradeniya University Veterinary Science Faculty was immediately consulted and Kirimenika was given treatment under his guidance. Later Dr. de Silva visited the orphanage the same day and supervised the treatment by the elephant had died at 5.30 p.m. the same day. Dr. Pandula Gunawardena, Pathologist attached to the Peradeniya University Veterinary Science Faculty was informed about the death. He arrived at the orphanage around 9.30 p.m. the same day and conducted the post mortem examination on the elephant assisted by Dr. de Silva, Dr. Rajapakse and university students. The post mortem revealed that the top portion of the elephant's windpipe was very small (four cm. curvature) and its intestines had been twisted. The resultant filling up of air in the stomach had caused the difficulty to defecate. The air pressure on lungs caused breathing difficulties leading to the elephant's instant death. Since the carcass is likely to get decomposed quickly the elephant's body parts were buried immediately to prevent any nauseating odour from creating a health hazard to other elephants and the orphanage staff. This is the normal procedure adopted in the event of the death of large animals in the zoological gardens as well as the elephant orphanage. The other elephant deaths in recent times are as follows with the relevant date and cause of death: Vijaya - September 11, 1999, brain cancer, Kandula I - January 29, 1999, heart attack, Sanka II - May 14, 1999, old age, Anura - March 31, 1998, rabies, Honda Kota - February 20, 1999, severe injuries to the trunk and body at the time it was handed over by the Wildlife Department, Binari - January 3, 2003, head injury and paralysis, baby elephant born to Lasanda - March 20, 2004 dashed on the ground by the mother and baby elephant of Nikini - April 22, 2004, born dead. |
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