Four people died in wild elephant attacks on Wednesday (25). The number of human deaths in a single day points to the seriousness of the human–elephant conflict. These four deaths occurred in the Kahatagasdigiliya, Karadugala, Bakamoona and Nikaweratiya police divisions. The first death was reported when a person was attacked by an elephant
while he had gone to pluck beedi leaves in the Nilgala reserve in the Karadugala police division. He was identified as P.M. Jayawardena (34), a resident of Gangasiripura Nilgala Bibila.
The second death due to a wild elephant attack was reported in Kahatagasdigiliya. A 39-year-old resident of Samadhigama Sippukulama village named D. Sandaruwan was killed by a wild elephant that had invaded his land.
The third elephant attack was reported in the Bakamoona Ella Kumara area. Fifty-two-year-old M.G.M. Thilakaratne had been killed by a wild elephant while he was working in his paddy field.
Shantha Herath (54), a resident of Mahagirilla, Nikaweratiya, was killed by a wild elephant while he was walking towards Tissogedera Road. This is the fourth elephant attack that had taken place on October 25.
Gayan Kumara Weerasinghe