Herd of wild elephants wander into villages

A herd of about ten wild elephants that wandered into the Ulpotha and Mahagalayaya villages on the boundary of the Pathahagala forest reserve in the Kandeketiya division destroyed paddy cultivation and home garden crops.

Residents said jumbos had broken down the electric fence and entered the villages at about 1 am yesterday. They roamed around the villages till dawn.

Villagers said they lived in constant fear of possible danger to their lives from the marauding herd and that they would not go out even to obtain treatment for a sudden illness. The villagers accused the officials of failing to issue at least elephant crackers to drive away the herd.