Sickening: Landfill plastic claims elephants’ lives

UNAWARE of the deadly danger, these elephants have been reduced to scavenging on a landfill site.

The magnificent animals are revered in their native Sri Lanka, but that offers no protection from the risk of eating plastic as they seek out food.

The dangers are plain – as these pictures show. Two elephants were found dead this week, and 20 have died over the last eight years in Pallakkadu village, 130 miles east of the capital Colombo.

The shocking images add weight to the Daily Mail’s long-running Turn The Tide On Plastic campaign and fuel concern that the animals may become endangered in Sri Lanka. Wildlife vet Nihal Pushpakumara said the loss of natural habitat led hungry elephants seek out the waste in the landfill, eating plastic as well as sharp objects that damage their digestive systems.

‘When that happens, they can’t consume food or water, which quickens their death,’ he added.

Tragedy: An elephant dead among the waste Misery: Elephants near the Sri Lankan village of Pallakkadu are being forced to scavenge for food in open landfill