Sri Lanka’s largest living tusker ‘Kavantissa’ facing serious threat to his life?

“Kavantissa”, the largest living tusker which symbolizes the pride of the Sri Lankan elephant lineage, is reportedly facing a serious threat to his life.

‘Kavantissa’ came into the spotlight in 2012 following the tragic death of ‘Siyambalangamuwa Tusker’, which had been the most majestic wild elephant in Sri Lanka until then.

However, due to human activities in recent decades, Kavantissa’s traditional annual migratory route—from the Kala Wewa and Balau Wewa through Galgamuwa, Thabbowa, and Wilpattu—is now completely inaccessible.

Similarly, water reserves such as Palukadawala, Mahagalgamuwa, and Iginimitiya, which were once part of the tusker’s habitat, are increasingly being cleared by humans for cultivation and other purposes. As a result, Kavantissa has now lost much of its natural living habitat.

At present, Kavantissa roams mainly around Galgamuwa and Ambanpola regions, according to environmentalists.

Recently, in these areas, two elephants namely ‘Bhathiya’ and ‘Asthika’, who were part of the same herd, were killed.

Meanwhile, environmentalists have observed several wounds on the left side of Kavantissa’s body, suspected to be wounds from recent gunshots.

Additionally, several elephants from the herd led by Kavantissa are also found with gunshot injuries to their legs.

These facts, according to veterinarians and environmentalists, indicate that the tusker Kavantissa too is now facing a serious threat to its life.