Polonnaruwa to get new elephant transit home

A new elephant transit home is planned on 15 hectares of land in Kalahagala, near Polonnaruwa, to treat orphaned and injured elephant calves rescued from Sri Lanka’s Northern and North Central regions.

Polonnaruwa District Secretary Sujantha Ekanayake said the site was selected following a survey by a specialist committee, with the Forest Department agreeing to allocate the land.

The facility is expected to reduce the time needed to transport rescued calves to the existing transit home in Udawalawe from seven to nine hours to about one or two hours before treatment can begin.

Former Director General of Wildlife Conservation and elephant researcher Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya said the centre would also enable calves to be rehabilitated and released into wildlife reserves in their respective regions, helping preserve the natural separation of Sri Lanka’s three main elephant subpopulations.

The project is also expected to support tourism and create employment opportunities for local residents. (Newswire)

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