A young tusker named Mugalan was gunned down near Udawalwe National Park last night. According to sources, Mugalan had roamed outside the park where he was believed to be shot at but made his way back to the Park, and collapsed due to shock and blood loss, just next to the Park’s southern boundary.
Only male Asian elephants sprout tusks and it is estimated that not more than 6-7% of the males in the Sri Lankan sub species have tusks. Hence, the abundance of tusks in Sri Lankan elephants is quite small. Therefore, the very few tuskers still alive today, are of great value and are simultaneously under grave threat.
Mugalan still had grass sprouts clinched to his trunk as he suffered a slow death.
It’s disheartening that it only takes one person with a gun to destroy the hope of a species. The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) is woefully inadequate and incompetent to deal with the human-elephant conflict but they need to address these issues immediately. If not, the reign of these majestic tuskers, not only in the Udawalawe National Park, but all over this wonderful island of ours, will be soon over.
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