Colombo: Seven elephants were found dead at the Habarana Hiriwadunna Forest Reserve in Sri Lanka. A veterinarian in Lanka’s wildlife department said that it seemed several of the elephants had died of poisoning. Authorities are looking into whether the usual diet of the elephants - jungle leaves - had any toxins in the food themselves. Officials have previously said that they suspected the elephants were poisoned by villagers, in retaliation for destroying their crops.
The recent expansion of farms and villages has made the elephant population come into frequent conflict with rural communities. Police say that there have been several incidents of wild elephants destroying village crops in the area. Under Lankan law, the killing of wild elephants is illegal and punishable by death.
Lanka’s tourism industry forced dozens of elephants into captivity. Many others are made to march in festivals and celebrations. A 70-year-old elephant named Tikiri was pulled from a parade last month after images of the animal - showing it starved and emaciated - sparked outrage after circulating online.
The most recent census data on Lanka’s elephant numbers at just under 6,000 were still left in the country. A more recent elephant survey was announced last August and was scheduled to take place in September.
