<p><img src="" alt="Featured Image"></p><p><!-- wp:html --><p><span>By Ifham Nizam</span></p>
<p>Carcasses of seven wild elephants were discovered at Handapanwila in the Flood Plains National Park in Polonnaruwa on Sunday (26).</p>
<p>Authorities have handed them over to the Giritale Wildlife Veterinary Unit for further investigation.</p>
<p>Wildlife officials said that they suspected that a herd of wild elephants, possibly from the Flood Plains National Park, encountered treacherous conditions while attempting to cross the Ode Ela, a waterway in the area.</p>
<p>The mud and water flow may have swept them away, leading to their tragic demise.</p>
<p>Among the casualties, five young elephants, aged between eight and 10 years, and two adult elephants, aged between 30 and 35 years, lost their lives.</p>
<p>Environmentalist Janaka Withanage told The Island that villagers believe that elephants died of suffocation due to the two-foot thick layer of water hyacinath (Japan jabara) washed into the canal after the recent floods.</p><!-- /wp:html --></p><p>[Category: <a href="https://feed.lankaimage.com/category/uncategorized/" rel="category tag">Uncategorized</a>]</p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> </p>
<p>Carcasses of seven wild elephants were discovered at Handapanwila in the Flood Plains National Park in Polonnaruwa on Sunday (26).</p>
<p>Authorities have handed them over to the Giritale Wildlife Veterinary Unit for further investigation.</p>
<p>Wildlife officials said that they suspected that a herd of wild elephants, possibly from the Flood Plains National Park, encountered treacherous conditions while attempting to cross the Ode Ela, a waterway in the area.</p>
<p>The mud and water flow may have swept them away, leading to their tragic demise.</p>
<p>Among the casualties, five young elephants, aged between eight and 10 years, and two adult elephants, aged between 30 and 35 years, lost their lives.</p>
<p>Environmentalist Janaka Withanage told The Island that villagers believe that elephants died of suffocation due to the two-foot thick layer of water hyacinath (Japan jabara) washed into the canal after the recent floods.</p><!-- /wp:html --></p><p>[Category: <a href="https://feed.lankaimage.com/category/uncategorized/" rel="category tag">Uncategorized</a>]</p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> </p>