Rogue jumbo under control

Chamikara Weerasinghe

The lone tusker with gunshot wounds that played havoc on the village streets of Kekirawa causing fear among the villagers, has been driven to Kalawewa forest by blocking its path, the Wildlife Department said yesterday.

The animal’s movements are currently under surveillance by Wildlife officers and elephant controllers, said Elephant Conservation Deputy Director of Wildlife Conservation Department, W S K Pathiratna.

The Department has sent a team of veterinarians to treat the animal’s wounds. However, the jumbo cannot be tranquilized to treat its wounds because it could bring death to the animal.

“If we tranquilized him now, the animal is unlikely to recover from its effects,” said Pathiratna.

The elephant, known among the villagers as Galgamuwe ‘Dala Poottuwa,’ strayed into the main Kekirawa-Dambulla road from the Kailapathana area causing panic in the area.

‘It had reportedly damaged nearly 50 vehicles and a house,’ he said.

“Elephant controllers are waiting until the animal calms down and collapses owing to injuries to treat its wounds,” said Pathiratna. “The eyesight of the tusker is also weak. This could be due to a gunshot wound it had suffered,” he said.