JUMBO CRITICALLY ILL;

RESIDENTS BLAME UNSAFE GARBAGE DUMP

Residents living in the area near the Deegawapi Village and environmentalists expressed concern about the unabated dumping of garbage near the Deegawapi Village in Ampara which they said posed a threat to wildlife. They pointed out, that garbage dumping ground run by the Local Pradeshiya Sabhas, was being used by seven local authority areas and that they dumped several lorry loads of garbage a day.

In the latest incident, a wild elephant that fed on garbage has been lying ill in critical condition in the dumping ground for several days.

Residents said a herd of about 40 elephants was in the habit of feeding on garbage, but no action had been taken by authorities to prevent it.

Wildlife Conservators said they were attending to the wild elephant lying in critical condition and could not say if they could save it.

They said the jumbo was about ten years old and about 7ft.tall.

Ampara Range Wildlife Conservator Kithsiri Mewan said the military officers in the Dighavapi camp were assisting the wildlife surgeons to treat the jumbo.