Army allegedly 'shoots' tusker

19 August 2013 10:30 am

The Army and the Wildlife Department have begun their respective investigations into the gun shots alleged to have been fired by army officers at the iconic tusker Gemunu at the Yala National Park, which is beyond the Army’s jurisdiction.

The 25-year-old Gemunu had reportedly approached an army truck in search of food on Sunday evening when some panic-stricken army officers had fired into the air to scare the elephant away.
 
Wildlife Department Director General H.D. Ratnayake said the elephant was earlier believed to have been injured in the firing but to the relief of all concerned the elephant was fortunate to have escaped without suffering any injuries at all.

“I sent out a team of wildlife officials to check whether the elephant had been harmed in any way. It was found unharmed and near Sithulpawwa and luckily doing fine,” Mr. Ratnayake said. (OJ)