Seven elephant calves killed by ‘Hakka Patas’ traps
January 17, 2018 09:59 am
The Department of Wildlife Conservation stated that seven elephant calves were killed by ‘Hakka Patas’ traps set within the Anuradhapura district at Horowpathana in 2017.
The Horowpathana Wildlife Conservation unit stated that all seven deceased elephant calves were in between the ages of 5-10 years old.
Local farmers and poachers strategically place the ‘Hakka Patas’ trap which is a small explosive utilized for pest control, to hunt wild boar and protect crops.
Elephant calves suffer painful deaths as the trap causes leaves their mouth cavity severely injured making consumption near impossible.
Local authorities have stated that a resolution to the human-elephant conflict will be decided upon to avoid such calamities in the future.