Lessons Should be Learned from the Tragic death of Tusker Deeghadanthu

We are miserable to see history repeat in such a tragic way and the victim this time is the largest tusker that remained in the Kalawewa National Park ‘Deeghadanthu 1’, who was electrocuted and killed inhumanely on the night of the November 27. This was not a coincidence, but an extension of the experiences by famed Tuskers in this area such as Barana, Revatha, and Walagambha for years. The forests around the Kalawewa National Park are where many Tuskers reported in the wild in this country. However, this was the Tusker that remained in the area with the largest tusks, this valuable majestic resource has now been lost to our country, and if we can learn a lesson from his loss at least at this moment, it will be better for the future generations of the likes of Deeghadanthu.

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The death of Deega Danthu II Authorities in a race against time to reduce Elephant Deaths By Electrocution

The death of Deega Danthu II, an iconic tusker that roamed around Kala Wewa, Balalu Wewa and adjacent jungles in Kekirawa has sparked serious concerns about interventions taken by authorities including the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) to conserve and protect these majestic species. Environmentalists opine that the state incurs a heavy loss in foreign exchange whenever an iconic tusker or an elephant is killed because many tourists travel from far and wide to view these species in their natural habitats.

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HEC in Hambantota Walsapugala farmers urge authorities to release MER for elephants

Farmers in Walsapugala staged a 108-day long protest back in 2021 braving various threats and challenges urging the then government to implement the Managed Elephant Reserve (MER) which allocated some 23,000 hectares to elephants that roam the area. The MER in fact is an important elephant corridor that connected three main national parks including Bundala, Lunugamvehera and Uda Walawa. Even though the MER has now been gazetted in response to the demands made by farmers, they continue to be at the receiving end of an aggravating Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC).

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Sri Lanka’s vanishing Elephant Corridors

The dry zone is home to a majority of the estimated elephant population of Sri Lanka. This population is scattered in small pockets of habitats as small herds and individual elephants. Efforts to mitigate the human-elephant conflict by conservationists haven’t proven the desired outcomes since most elephant habitats and elephant corridors (also called elephant passes) have been destructed. On the other hand, as many as 16 areas that have been identified as elephant passes are yet to be declared and included in a gazette as authorities are finding it a challenge to convince private investors and humans to move away from areas frequented by elephants.

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