Rogue elephant blamed for raids on homesteads captured

Text and pictures by PRIYAN DE SILVA

A wild elephant that roamed in the Katuwewa, Nagarawewa and Walsapugala areas in Hambanthota and destroyed cultivations was captured by Wildlife officers at Walsapugala on Sunday (08) evening.

Wildlife officials fixed a GPS/VHF transmitter around ite elephant’s neck. They said that the animal would be released to a wildlife reserve and its movements monitored.

Chairman of the Center for Conservation and Research (CCR) Sri Lanka and a member of the Presidential Committee appointed to come up with an action plan to end the Human Elephant Conflict (HEC),  Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando was of the view that the translocation of elephants was not a permanent solution as research had shown that most animals found their way back to their home range or caused problems in the areas they were taken to.