Villagers stand next to the dead body of an elephant laying in a field near Sigiriya village, some 177 kms north of the capital of Colombo.
Seven elephants have been found dead in Sri Lanka since Friday. They were probably poisoned by villagers, police said. The facts are technically punishable by death in the country.
In Sri Lanka , wildlife officials have discovered seven dead elephants since Friday. They were arguably poisoned by villagers infuriated by these animals which cause fatal accidents and destroy crops as they venture into villages, police said on Saturday.
Three dead animals discovered in a reserve
Three dead animals were discovered Saturday in a forest reserve in central Sri Lanka, near the historic site of Sigiriya, a fortress built in the V th century atop a rock and declared World Heritage by the Unesco, police said.
“Since Friday, we have discovered the remains of seven elephants, including tusks,” police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said.
A pregnant female and a male are among the four dead elephants found on Friday. Veterinarians and wildlife specialists will perform autopsies, a Sigiriya police official said, as it is suspected the animals have been poisoned.
Increasing incidents
Elephants that venture into rural areas are responsible for the death of about fifty people a year, especially when they burst into villages located near their natural habitat.
Police say the number of incidents of wild elephants breaking into villages and destroying crops is on the rise.
Killing elephants can theoretically be punishable by death in Sri Lanka.
The elephant population in the country, which was estimated at 12 000 individuals at the beginning of XX th century, into account more than 7000, according to the last census.
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