Sri Lanka Railway and Wildlife Department claim three more lives of elephants

ColomboPage News Desk August 25, 2007 Aug 25, Colombo: Sri Lanka Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Champika Ranwaka has ordered a disciplinary investigation against the Wildlife officials believed to be responsible for the tragic deaths of three wild elephants. Two young cubs and a female elephant were run over by the Colombo-bound express train on Friday (24) morning at Kitulkotte near 153rd milepost on Colombo-Trincomalee railway when the train hit a herd of elephants crossing the railway lines. Two more elephants were also injured in the accident. Sri Lanka’s dwindling elephant population has lost 74 members within the first eight months of this year alone. Another elephant was killed and two were injured by the same train within this month in the same area, an elephant corridor in short of signboards for train engine drivers. Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources says that wildlife officials had to be deployed on duty in the train to avoid such incidents. However, they haven’t been in the fatal train for some reason.