A 47-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of killing a wild elephant and burning its remains in a pit, according to the Nikaweratiya Wildlife Office.
The arrest follows an investigation initiated after wildlife officers received information that parts of a dead wild elephant had been burned and buried on private land in the Kotuattawala area of Nikaweratiya.
Wildlife officials believe the elephant may have died a few days ago after becoming entangled in an electric wire set up for pigs.
The owner of the land was apprehended in the Kurunegala area and is expected to be presented before the Nikaweratiya Magistrate’s Court.
Charges under the Animal and Flora Protection Act, including killing an elephant using traps and concealing the crime, will be brought against the suspect.
The investigation revealed that the elephant, which was 7–8 feet tall, had been dismembered with an electric saw before its remains were buried.
The body parts were recovered on August 30 with the assistance of a backhoe, and under the supervision of wildlife veterinarian Isuru Hewakotta, the remains were exhumed and then reburied.
