A woman has died following an elephant attack in the Mahakandiya area of Ampara. The incident occurred at around 5:30 a.m. on July 5, when the elephant launched the attack. Villagers rushed the injured woman to the Ampara General Hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries.
The victim has been identified as 62-year-old Somawathi. The elephant, which had entered the village during the night, was returning to the forest in the morning when the encounter took place. According to officials from the Ampara Wildlife Office, wildlife officers later visited the area.
Ampara Wildlife Assistant Director, Mr. Prasantha Wimaladasa, stated that wild elephants frequently roam this area, and measures like electric fences and night elephant-chasing teams have already been deployed. He emphasized that this tragic event occurred unexpectedly and appeared to be a sudden, accidental encounter.
It is clear that many such incidents, especially involving women, result from unexpected close encounters with elephants. A core principle of our app is to reduce such surprise encounters. By reporting elephant sightings through the app, we can alert everyone in the area. With increased awareness and informed movement, can’t we reduce such tragic deaths?
Let’s try to make this post as visible as an elephant’s injury. Both sides—the humans and the elephants—deserve our full attention in this human-elephant conflict.