Death toll of wild elephants trapped in bog reaches 9

The number of wild elephants who had died after getting bogged down in a marshy land in the Thummodara section of the Periyaaru River had increased to nine by yesterday. Asst. Director of Wildlife Conservation, Polonnaruwa Zone, W.m.d.j.wickremesinghe said.

He said the carcass of an elephant calf was found when clearing the rank swampland that created a death-trap for wild elephants that roam the jungle in search of fodder. He said the calf was about two years of age and that it would have been part of the herd, the carcasses of which had been found earlier.

He said when the carcasses of the seven elephants were discovered earlier, Minister of Wildlife and Sustainable Development Sarath Fonseka and Deputy Minister

Palitha Thewarapperuma visited the scene and instructed the officials to remove the rank vegetation that camouflaged the swamp that looked like bare land covered with plants. The official said the wild elephants had stepped into the marshy land which looked deceptively like a bare land that was covered with plants.

The Wildlife Zonal Director further said clearing the rank vegetation was a temporary measure and pointed out that the authorities need to prevent the recurrence of a similar incident in the future.