Wildlife Department nurses polythene-ingested elephant to heath

The Giritale Wildlife Department nursed to health an elephant that was found to have consumed vast amounts of polythene.

The elephant was found lying in a swamp at Manampitiya, Nelumwila on January 29.

The Giritale Wildlife Department said the elephant was moved out of the swamp with a backhoe and treated with 30 bottles of saline.

Giritale Wildlife Department veterinary surgeon said the elephant had discharged 40 kilogrammes of polythene, after being given 40 litres of water and 3 litres of coconut oil.

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11 hour operation to detach trunk from tusk

A tusker whose trunk had gotten stuck inside one of its tusks, rendering it unable to intake food for two days, was rescued by veterinary surgeons of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC). The elephant, a 25-year-old tusker by the name of 'Nandimitra,' is known to frequent the area of the Sithulpawwa Rajamaha Viharaya.

After receiving information that the tusker's trunk had been stuck inside one of its tusks, wildlife officers launched a two day search operation to locate the animal. They were finally able to locate 'Nandimitra' last evening. The trunk was finally detached from the tusk after an operation lasting 11 hours.

DWC officials say Nandimitra had attacked and damaged about 107 vehicles along the Sithulpawwa road, mainly due to pilgrims trying to feed the tusker.

According to the most recent DWC census conducted in 2011, there are just 120 tuskers left in the wild.

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