Sri Lankan wildlife photographer Lakshitha Karunarathna has been recognized for the second time at the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) competition, making him the first Sri Lankan to achieve this feat. 

His awarded photograph, titled 'Toxic Tip,' was selected from over 60,000 entries and shows a lone elephant scavenging at a waste dump in Sri Lanka’s Ampara District.

The image highlights the growing threat of plastic and polythene consumption by elephants, which leads to digestive issues and shortened lifespans.

Karunarathna, who has been documenting the human-elephant conflict for three years, stated that the award is a reminder of the urgent need to address the impact of human waste on wildlife. 

The WPY Award Ceremony is scheduled to be held on 13 October in London.