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Ruhunu Kataragama elephant Vasana’s tusk partially broken
Colombo, May 26 (Daily Mirror) - A portion of the right tusk of Vasana, the elephant belonging to the Ruhunu Kataragama Maha Devalaya, has broken off, temple authorities confirmed today.
Basnayake Nilame of the Ruhunu Maha Kataragama Devalaya, Dishan Gunasekara, told the Daily Mirror that approximately 12 inches of Vasana’s right tusk had broken after it got stuck in the elephant's den, something the elephant is reportedly prone to as a habitual behaviour.
Similarly, a portion of the left tusk had also broken off on a previous occasion, he said.
The head mahout in charge of Vasana was immediately informed of the incident. With the onset of the mating season, Vasana is currently being kept in a separate enclosure, where he is receiving special care, including medication and a monitored diet.
The broken part of the tusk was discovered early this morning in the area where Vasana is housed. It has since been handed over to the Basnayake Nilame’s office for safekeeping.
Vasana has been part of the Kataragama Devalaya since 1978, when the then Minister Wimala Kannangara gifted the elephant to the shrine.
Vasana was initially found in a forest area in the Anuradhapura District and later taken to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage before being offered to the temple.
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