Baby elephant separated from herd finds refuge with buffaloes

By Manampitiya Nimal Jayaratne

A wild elephant calf, which was separated from its herd due to the overflow of the Mahaweli River and the Divulana Willuwa Dam in Polonnaruwa, arrived at a cowshed in the Divulana village with a herd of buffaloes on Thursday.

An official of the Polonnaruwa Wildlife Office stated that the wild elephant calf, which arrived at a cowshed in the Divulana village with a herd of buffaloes, is a 4-5 year-old calf, about 5 feet tall, usually roams in the Somawathiya Reserve.

A Wildlife Office spokesperson stated that the villagers informed the Polonnaruwa and Manampitiya Wildlife Officers about the baby elephant that had strayed from the herd and had come to the village, and they took steps to release the elephant into the forest.