Seetha taken home after three weeks

The female elephant 'Seetha', who was injured following a shooting incident by a Wildlife officer, was taken to Maharagama to its residence in a lorry on Tuesday (18) afternoon, Peradeniya University Veterinary Medicine & Animal Science Faculty Prof. Ashoka Dangolla said.

He told the Daily Mirror that the female elephant had been taken to Maharagama three weeks after the incident.

"Due to lack of sleep for about a fortnight, the elephant's abdominal area is swollen. Considering the risk of the animal becoming unable to endure a long journey, the caretaker decided to take it to its owner's home in Maharagama," Prof. Ashoka Dangolla said.

The elephant's abdominal area was swollen due to complications after the incident and not getting enough sleep. The abdominal area is getting filled with water, and the water needs to be removed after taking the elephant to Maharagama.

The elephant’s owner, S.M. Roshan, said that if justice is not meted out to the animal, he will go to the International Court of Justice.

The female elephant underwent several scanning tests, including three thermal imaging scans, and several rubber bullet parts inside the left leg of the elephant were removed.

The elephant was injured on September 30 following a shooting incident by a Wildlife officer after the annual perahera procession of the Mahiyangana Raja Maha Vihara. (Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama)