• A herd of jumbos have wandered into the NLDB farm

The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) yesterday (5) stated that reports of elephants starving in Oyamaduwa were untrue, following reports of 150 elephants being trapped and starved.

“There have been elephants in Oyamaduwa since the beginning,” DWC Director General (DG) Chandana Sooriyabandara told The Daily Morning yesterday (5). “The elephants have access to food in the environment they are in and therefore there is no need to give them any more food.”

These comments follow a report stating that elephants, including elephant calves, are trapped and starving following failed relocation attempts from as Sravastipura, Thambuttegama, Vilachchiya, Moragoda, and Thanthirimale in the Anuradhapura District to Wilpattu National Park.

“There are some elephants that have wandered into the farm, however there is food for them in the surrounding environment,” Sooriyabandara stressed.

Reports state that the elephants were confined to the National Livestock Development Board (NLDB) farm and efforts of wildlife officials and local residents to move the elephants were unsuccessful. The Department of Wildlife and Forest Conservation is considering a plan to drive the elephants to the Wilpattu National Park, while it was reported that compensation will be provided for any damage to crops and property.