GALEWELA: WILDLIFE RANGERS DRIVE AWAY WILD ELEPHANT HERD

Wildlife Conservation Department yesterday launched an operation to drive away a herd of elephants that caused much havoc in the Galewela area, Rangers said. Residents of Galewela had told their Divisional Secretary M.U. Nishantha that they were living in constant fear of life from a herd of about 12 wild elephants roaming into the villages at dusk.

They said that the herd had pulled down the walls of several houses and destroyed crops and that their children often stayed back at home to avoid the wild elephants frequenting the village roads till about 8 a.m.

Galewela Divisional Secretary and the officers from Herathgama, Pibidunagama, and Galkiriyagama Wildlife Conservation Department Offices launched the operation in the early hours of yesterday.

They drove away several jumbos from Dandubendiwewa village to the Ranawa Forest Reserve about 12 miles away.

They said that they would continue the operation until the entire herd was driven away to the Reserve.

Galewela Divisional Secretary and the officers from Herathgama, Pibidunagama, and Galkiriyagama Wildlife Conservation Department Offices launched the operation in the early hours of yesterday