The Elephant Story (In Which All Does Not End Well For The Elephant)

Elephant Stuck In Mango Tree Faces Off With Puzzled Poachers

Encounter Does Not End Well For Elephant

Colombo, Sri Lanka ( January 21, 2009) : The remains of a young bull elephant were found suspended in the upper branches a 400-year old mango tree on the outskirts of the Udawalawe Wilderness Sanctuary this morning, an apparent victim of the illeg-al ... more >

Elephant Stuck In Mango Tree Faces Off With Puzzled Poachers

Encounter Does Not End Well For Elephant

Colombo, Sri Lanka ( January 21, 2009) : The remains of a young bull elephant were found suspended in the upper branches a 400-year old mango tree on the outskirts of the Udawalawe Wilderness Sanctuary this morning, an apparent victim of the illeg-al tusk trade which has revived in the area in recent months as ivory prices reach historic levels.

Investigators believe the elephant became separated from its herd in the aftermath of the South-West monsoon and wandered across the mud-soaked windward side of (Mt. Sri Pada) where it lost its footing, tumbled through a thicket of underbrush, and finally fell from a 12-meter overlook. After crashing through the canopy of taller kitul palms, it became lodged in the upper branches of the ancient mango tree, still eight meters from the ground.

It is presumed the elephant remained alive and conscience after the fall. The elephant is believed to have remained in the tree for a t least 48 hours before it was likely discovered by one of several active poaching rings on the island, a conclusion directly related to the presence of 27 large-caliber bullets in the elephant's undercarriage and the tusks having been removed from the carcass.

Rajesh Sud, Director of The Udawalawe's Veterinary Clinic determined the cause of death was directly related to the bullets wounds, having found found no other internal injuries resulting from the fall. “It's very sad to see,” said Sud. “After you finally com-prehend an elephant being in a tree, you can only be saddened by the sight of the missing tusks and what ordeal the elephant must have been through."

Elephant poaching has seen a resurgence in recent years as ivory prices reach some of the highest levels ever recorded - tusks can now sell for up to $1500 per kilo-gram. Fewer than 3,000 elephants remain on the island.

The poachers were apparently stymied by the position of the elephant in the tree, which presented a challenge in reaching the elephant's tusks. Found at the scene was a makeshift hoist constructed of manila rope indicating the poachers had climbed the tree directly adjacent and rigged a hoist to a branch above the elephant's head in order to reach the tusks.

Removing the elephant's remains from the tree proved daunting for the local authorities, who were determined not to cut down the mango tree. Rather, a team of 20 local men attached cable, ropes and chain to the elephant’s mid-section, sawed two troublesome branches from the tree, and pulled the elephant forward where it finally toppled to the ground.

“If we had found the elephant alive,” Sud said, “we still don’t know how we would’ve gotten it down alive.”