• Opposition seeks PSC on Kavantissa

A wild elephant believed to be around 15 years old was found collapsed and unable to stand in a paddy field in Sammanthurai, Ampara, on Wednesday morning (21), prompting Wildlife Conservation officials to intervene and arrange urgent treatment. The male elephant was discovered in Sammanthurai Division 4 under the Waththapitiya Field Protection Unit of the Ampara Wildlife Conservation Office in the Eastern Wildlife Region. According to preliminary investigations by Wildlife Conservation officials, the elephant had become severely weakened and collapsed in the middle of the paddy field. Officials suspect that the animal’s condition was linked to the consumption of human-discarded waste, including polythene, which may have caused serious digestive complications and a deterioration in its health. Wildlife Conservation officers who reached the scene, carefully removed polythene waste lodged inside the elephant’s mouth using a stick. Fruits were subsequently provided to the weakened animal as part of efforts to support its recovery. Officials said that emergency medical treatment was to be undertaken by the Wildlife Veterinary Division, with efforts underway to stabilise the elephant and restore it to normal health. The animal’s condition and the precise medical cause of its collapse would need to be established through veterinary examination, the Wildlife Conservation officials said.

Meanwhile, the Opposition has decided to submit a motion to the Speaker of the House seeking the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to uncover the truth surrounding the death of the tusker ‘Kavantissa’. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and several other Opposition Parliamentarians signed the relevant motion on Wednesday. The motion reportedly seeks to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of ‘Kavantissa’, regarded as part of the country’s natural heritage, determine whether all the relevant parties fulfilled their responsibilities and ensure that justice is served for the elephant.

Further, the expert committee appointed to investigate the death of Kavantissa and recommend a national elephant conservation programme held its inaugural meeting at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday, under the chairmanship of the Presidential Chief of Staff Prabath Chandrakeerthi. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake appointed the committee to investigate all aspects of the death of Kavantissa, who died in the Siyambalangamuwa area of Galgamuwa on or around 16 October. The committee has also been tasked with developing standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure the welfare of wild elephants and making recommendations for a national programme aimed at protecting the animals. The meeting held discussions on the circumstances surrounding the elephant’s death, the nature of its injuries and the intervention undertaken by the Wildlife Conservation Department. The committee also discussed the development of scientifically based SOPs to guide prompt and appropriate action in similar incidents in the future. Establishing a rapid response veterinary unit to ensure swift veterinary intervention in the field was another area of discussion. Further, the committee decided to seek the assistance of local and foreign experts in carrying out its work.