Wild elephants in Sigiriya cause havoc

By Kanchana Kumara   

A herd of 13 wild elephants including three tuskers have been causing much havoc in Pothana in Sirigiya.   

Residents of the area said their cultivated land and the home garden crops have been left to the mercy of the jumbos and that they were living in constant fear of any possible danger to their life,.   

They pointed out that the wires in the electric fence had been broken down with tuskers paving the way for the herd to enter the villages. Villagers said the marauding herd frequented the villagers till dawn destroying cultivated land and feeding on crops. They pointed out that more than 50 year old coconut trees had been pulled down and the young coconuts crushed and the kernel eaten.   

The villagers requested the wildlife conservation officers to drive away the herd and to attend to repairs of the electric fence. They warned that even the wild elephants were facing the danger of being electrocuted when they attempt to pull down the electric fence   

Meanwhile, residents of Thirappane area expressed concern about the danger posed by the tusker popularly known as ‘Agbo’ frequenting the villages destroying paddy fields and cultivated land,

They said the jumbo has been frequenting Ethungama, Karambegama, Divulwewa, Ulagalla, Wannammaduwa and Eruwewa villagers feeding on crops and creating a serious threat to their life.   

This was a major issue taken up at the Thirappane Division Agricultural Committee that met recently. The farmers who attended the meeting stressed the need to provide protection to the villagers and the jumbos as well and to prevent the recurrence of the fate which the tusker Deega Danthu suffered.