Colombo, Oct. 23 (Daily Mirror) - The absence of the tusker Mahasen for the past three months does not necessarily mean that something bad has happened to the elephant, a senior Wildlife Department official said, explaining that wild elephants can roam vast areas and remain unseen for months.
The official was responding to Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa’s statement in Parliament yesterday regarding the missing tusker.
Wild elephants do not remain within designated areas but travel several kilometres daily, either in herds or alone. Some elephants may disappear from sight for months before being spotted again, he said.
Although Mahasen has not been seen for the past three months, wildlife officers have received no information suggesting that anything untoward has happened to the tusker, the official added.
“Following the death of the tusker Kavantissa, and amid the emotional posts and videos shared on social media, people have become very sensitive about elephants. The Wildlife Department alone cannot attend to every animal, including elephants, based on individual concerns at all times. We have limited staff, and it is not practical to constantly follow elephants,” he said.
Meanwhile, security forces, including the Tri-Forces, have been deployed to assist wildlife officers in rescuing distressed elephants, including Mahasen and other elephant calves, in several parts of the country following a request from the Ministry of Environment.
The Ministry said an elephant calf rescued from Wewelketiya in Anuradhapura had been taken to the Pandulagama Veterinary Unit for treatment before being transferred to the Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home for rehabilitation.
Wildlife officers are also monitoring a distressed elephant, about seven years old, in the Gallella and Manikkampattiya areas of Polonnaruwa. Another distressed elephant calf in the Sammanthurai area is also receiving attention.
Security forces are providing field support and protection to wildlife officers, while joint operations are expected to be strengthened to rescue distressed wildlife and monitor areas affected by human-elephant conflict.