Forestry officer injured as tranquilizer gun misfires

An officer attached to the Forest Department has been hospitalised folllowing injuires sustained when a tranquilizer gun set up for hunting purposes had gone off accidentally, yesterday (Mar 01).

The incident had taken place when the officer was on an official visit to the Dediyagala Forest Reserve along with another Forest Department officer.

Meanwhile, the victim who had suffered injuries had to exprience a severe delay in being taken to the hospital since there were no communication facilities inside the forest reserve.

The other officer who accompanied the victim had to travel two kilometres to reach the main road in order to make a phone call to the Forest Department and reach out for help.

Area residents had volunteered to rescue the victim by carrying him out of the forest reserve on a wooden stretcher - a journey which took about an hour. 

He was then taken to the Karapitiya teaching hospital on a 1990 ambulance.

The forest department officer is currently receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital as several ammunition parts were found inside his stomach and feet, hospital sources said.

Investigations carried out by the Akuressa police following the incident revealed that several tranqulizer guns were set-up in many parts of the forest reserve for hunting purposes.

Police had also warned the people to refrain from travelling through the forest reserve since it was gradually becoming dangerous.

(Reporting and pic by Ajith Lanka Thilaka)