Two wild elephants died yesterday (22) after being hit by a train and electrocuted in the Malutivu and Kilinochchi districts, Wildlife Department officials said.
Kilinochchi Wildlife Office said that a wild elephant was killed after it collided with the Uttara Devi train travelling from Jaffna to Colombo in the Murukandi area of Kilinochchi.
The Mullaitivu Wildlife Officer said a tusker was found dead in the Salamban area of Oddusudan Periya Mullaitivu.
It is also revealed that this tusker died after being electrocuted by an unauthorized electric cable that had been laid due to the threat of wild elephants to the respective paddy field.
The Wildlife officials added that the dead elephant was a 15-year-old tusker and the Oddusudan Police had been informed to arrest the owner of the field who had drawn electric wires.
The last rites of the wild elephant who died after being hit by the train and the elephant who died due to electric shock are scheduled to be performed today (23).
-daily mirror
