කාවන්තිස්ස හස්තියා මිය යෑම ගැන පරිසරවේදීන් ස්වාධීන මරණ පරීක්ෂණයක් ඉල්ලයි

Kavantissa, whose name is also rendered as Kawanthissa in some reports, was an iconic wild tusker in Sri Lanka. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said the elephant had been unwell and died despite treatment efforts by wildlife authorities and veterinary teams.

Dr Jagath Jayasekara, a former veterinary officer with the Dehiwala National Zoological Park, said the care of a wild elephant weighing between four and five tonnes presents risks and difficult working conditions for veterinarians. The reports provide no further details on the treatment or when and where the elephant died.

Environmental activist Nayanaka Ranwella said the death was not natural and called it a killing, according to Ada Derana’s Tamil-language report. Hiru News reported that environmentalists were seeking an independent investigation. The reports do not establish the cause of death.

The Department of Wildlife Conservation planned to apply to court on Saturday, October 17, for permission to conduct a post-mortem. Newswire reported that an expert team would investigate. The reports give no outcome of the court application or examination.

Written automatically by AI from the outlets’ own reports, and not reviewed by an editor. It can be wrong — the original report is the authority.