Elephants dying from eating plastic waste in Sri Lankan dump
Conservationists and veterinarians are
warning that plastic waste in an open landfill in eastern Sri Lanka is killing
elephants in the region, after two more were found dead last weekend.
Around 20 elephants have died over the last
eight years after consuming plastic trash in the dump in Pallakkadu village in
Ampara district, about 210 kilometers (130 miles) east of the capital, Colombo.
Examinations of the dead animals showed they
had swallowed large amounts of nondegradable plastic that is found in the
garbage dump, wildlife veterinarian Nihal Pushpakumara said.
"Polythene, food wrappers, plastic,
other non-digestibles and water were the only things we could see in the post
mortems. The normal food that elephants eat and digest was not evident,"
he said.
Elephants are revered in Sri Lanka but are
also endangered. Their numbers have dwindled from about 14,000 in the 19th
century to 6,000 in 2011, according to the country's first elephant census.
They are increasingly vulnerable because of
the loss and degradation of their natural habitat. Many venture closer to human
settlements in search of food, and some are killed by poachers or farmers angry
over damage to their crops.
Hungry elephants seek out the waste in the
landfill, consuming plastic as well as sharp objects that damage their
digestive systems, Pushpakumara said.
"The elephants then stop eating and
become too weak to keep their heavy frames upright. When that happens, they
can't consume food or water, which quickens their death," he said.
In 2017, the government announced that it
will recycle the garbage in dumps near wildlife zones to prevent elephants from
consuming plastic waste. It also said electric fences would be erected around
the sites to keep the animals away. But neither has been fully implemented.
There are 54 waste dumps in wildlife zones
around the country, with around 300 elephants roaming near them, according to
officials.
The waste management site in Pallakkadu
village was set up in 2008 with aid from the European Union. Garbage collected
from nine nearby villages is being dumped there but is not being recycled.
In 2014, the electric fence protecting the
site was struck by lightning and authorities never repaired it, allowing
elephants to enter and rummage through the dump. Residents say elephants have
moved closer and settled near the waste pit, sparking fear among nearby
villagers.
Many use firecrackers to chase the animals
away when they wander into the village, and some have erected electric fences
around their homes.
But the villagers often don't know how to
install the electric fences so they are safe and "could endanger their own
lives as well as those of the elephants," said Keerthi Ranasinghe, a local
village councilor.
"Even though we call them a menace, wild
elephants are also a resource. Authorities need to come up with a way to
protect both human lives and the elephants that also allows us to continue our
agricultural activities," he said.
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