A silent massacre is taking place in Sri Lanka: around 20 elephants have died in 8 years after ingesting plastic waste
Last weekend in Sri Lanka The lifeless bodies of two elephants were found eastern. It was neither old age nor some pathology that crushed them, but the ingested plastic. And they are not the only ones to have been killed by the dangerous waste of the huge open landfill of the village of Pallakkadu, about 200 kilometers from the capital Colombo. In fact, in the last 8 years at least twenty specimens have died after eating plastic materials. A silent massacre of which there is still too little talk, but which is putting at risk the survival of these extraordinary creatures that have lived for centuries in the Asian country.
A number of elephants have died from consuming plastic in Sri Lanka's Open Garbage Disposal Site.? AP…
Posted by Latest Indonesian News on Saturday, January 15, 2022
We only found polyethylene, food wrappers, plastic, other non-digestible materials, and water. - comments with a bitter taste in his mouth Nihal Pushpakumara, wildlife veterinarian - No trace of the food that elephants normally eat and digest.
In the Pallakkadu landfill, active since 2008, waste from 9 villages in the area flows. Years ago the area was protected by an electric fence, but in 2014 it was struck by lightning and has not been repaired since. Thus, hungry and exhausted elephants pour into the landfill in search of food.
The dramatic collapse of the Sri Lankan elephant population
On the territory of Sri Lanka, the number of elephant specimens dropped dramatically from about 14 in the 19th century to 6.000 in 2011, the year of the first census.
Here the pachyderms are increasingly weak and vulnerable due to the fragmentation of their natural habitat and the climate crisis. As a result, many animals approach population centers in search of food and landfills, where they ingest plastic waste and other dangerous sharp objects that damage their digestive system.
Read also: Sri Lanka, the harrowing images of elephants forced to search for food in the midst of mountains of waste
This scenario is leading to increasingly frequent conflicts with humans. To remove them from cities and crops in many cases the inhabitants use firecrackers. Thus, it often happens that elephants die in terrible suffering after having accidentally ingested the explosive (how can we forget the frightening story of the pregnant elephant, who died in India after eating a pineapple full of firecrackers?).
But this situation cannot go on for much longer. Keerthi Ranasinghe, a Sri Lankan village councilor, also spoke on the matter.
While we see them as a threat, wild elephants are also an asset. - he said - The authorities must find a way to protect both human lives and elephants.
If the country's authorities are unable to stop this silent massacre, Sri Lanka will soon have to say goodbye to these animals, considered sacred by the population.
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Source: AP Press
Read also:
- Dead elephant in Thailand: you find plastic bags and other items in his stomach
- Hungry elephant eats plastic waste abandoned by tourists in India
