Human – elephant conflict claims a life in Polonnaruwa (Sri Lanka)

Author(s)

Tharushan Fernando, Newsfirst

Date Published

The threat of wild elephants claimed another life on Saturday. The tragedy was reported from the Gange-Yaya area in Bakamuna , Polonnaruwa.

Nandawathie Podimenike, a resident of Gan-Golla In the Polonnaruwa New Town was 55-years-old at the time of her demise.

She came under attack from a wild elephant when she was visiting her daughter. Her life was taken away by the wild elephant when she stepped out of the house in the Gange-Yaya Village at 05:30 this morning.

Relatives say that the wild elephant had come from the Ambanganga Reserve which is located in close proximity. Although an electric fence has been set up to protect the village from encroaching wild elephants, locals say that wild elephants enter the village because 20 acres of the reserve is located inside the village.

The house in which today’s victim was staying is also located in close proximity to the forest reserve.

The human elephant Conflict is also an issue that was highlighted through the News 1st, Gammadda Door to Door Campaign. Through the Campaign, News1st highlighted that like Polonnaruwa, there are many other areas that are battered by this issue.The report compiled following the campaign notes that the human-elephant conflict amounts to 07 percent of the total issues faced by the people of Sri Lanka.

 

http://newsfirst.lk/english/2016/06/human-elephant-conflict-claims-life-polonnaruwa/138225