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Two days after the ‘grand’ public destruction of the blood ivory of 350 African elephant tusks at the Galle Face Green, a Sri Lankan tusker and an elephant fell prey to a fallen high tension wire at Welimada Yaya in the Haberewa area, in the Hambabtota district Girandurukotte wildlife offers.
In a separate incident early on Saturday morning, another elephant died when it came into contact with a 33,000-volt high tension.
During the first incident locals found a 35-year-old tusker and a 25-year-old wild elephant electrocuted.
The Sunday Times learns that human activities in the Girandurukotte area, lead to at least five elephant deaths annually.
Veterinarian Pramuditha Devasurendra said that until the head of the tusker is sent to the Department of Wildlife for preservation, the remains of the two pachyderms will be protected by officers of the Giranduru-kotte department of wildlife.
A census carried out on the elephant population in Sri Lanka in 2012 revealed there was a total of 5,879 elephants and 1,042 tuskers in the country.
A survey revealed that around 200 elephants die untimely deaths
The survey also revealed that around 200 of the two species die untimely deaths. If the elephant population in the country is to survive, authorities need to step up efforts to protect the wild elephants in the country.
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/160131/news/photo-focus-one-by-one-our-elephants-fall-181268.html