News
Elephant tusk-loss in bizarre accident highlights growing road danger
View(s):- Search for injured tusker believed to be Sumedha proves futile
By Malaka Rodrigo
March 7 (Friday) was a typical morning for those travelling on the Habarana-Maradankadawala road, with vehicles speeding through the area. It was around 6 a.m, when two elephants, having probably spent the night feeding, suddenly emerged from the Galapitagala area and attempted to cross the road. The driver of a lorry, travelling at high speed, had no time to stop, so he swerved onto the other side of the road. One elephant managed to escape, but the other, a tusker, got its left tusk stuck on the lorry.
Fortunately, the collision wasn’t head-on, so the tusker ran toward a small forest patch on the other side. Shocked by the accident, the driver stepped out of the vehicle and was further stunned when he saw what was on the road – the elephant’s tusk.
Where the tusk got stuck in the lorry
Villagers quickly gathered at the scene, alerting both the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) officers and the police. The driver was arrested, but the elephant, which had fled the area after the accident, was nowhere to be found.
Hasintha Sooriyaarachchi, a safari jeep operator in the area, noted that the tusk appeared to have been split from the root and measured over five feet in length. Mr. Sooriyaarachchi and fellow jeep operators assisted DWC officers to search for the injured tusker, but their efforts were in vain. Mr. Sooriyarachchi spoke about a waste disposal site nearby that attracted elephants and speculated whether the tusker involved could be “Sumedha,” who had been seen roaming in the vicinity in recent days.
This accident occurred just a few weeks after the tragic train collision that killed six elephants. Although less frequent than train collisions, road accidents involving elephants have also raised concern, with four elephant deaths being reported due to road accidents last year. According to DWC statistics 13 elephants died in road accidents from 2019 to 2023.
Unlike train collisions, road accidents can be more dangerous for passengers too. In April 2024, a lorry collided with a wild elephant in Polonnaruwa, killing two people and injuring six when the lorry toppled after the crash. In 2022, renowned actor Jackson Anthony was critically injured in a collision with a wild elephant in the Thalawa area of Anuradhapura. He passed away in October 2023 after 15 months in intensive care.
The rise in road accidents involving wild elephants can be attributed to several factors. Increased vehicular traffic, especially at night, raises the risk of collisions with elephants that are nocturnal animals. While warning signs have been put up in areas frequented by elephants, drivers on remote roads often ignore speed limits, which heighten the risk of disastrous accidents.
Additionally, the lack of wildlife corridors, safe crossing points or underpasses for elephants forces them to share roadways with vehicles, further increasing the likelihood of such accidents.
Addressing these challenges to ensure the safety of both humans and elephants and to preserve Sri Lanka’s rich biodiversity, requires a collective effort between government agencies, conservationists, and local communities.
The tusk that fell onto the road. Pix by Hasintha Sooriyaarachchi
Where the tusk got stuck in the lorry
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