Latest news with #WildlifeAuthorities
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
Tragic turn: Three elephants found dead one day after six were released in Sri Lanka's wild
COLOMBO, July 18 — At least three wild elephants were found dead across Sri Lanka on Friday, officials said, a day after six young rescued elephants were returned to the jungle under a conservation drive. Wildlife officials said one elephant was run over by a passenger train in the island's northeast, while two others were found shot dead in the central and eastern regions. Elephants are protected by law and considered sacred due to their significance in Buddhist culture, but farmers often kill them to protect their crops. Human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka has resulted in the deaths of nearly 200 elephants and 55 people so far this year. 'We have launched investigations into the shootings of the two elephants, it looks like the work of local farmers,' a police spokesman in the capital Colombo said. The train accident occurred in Gallella, the same area where seven elephants were killed by a locomotive in February, the worst incident of its kind in Sri Lanka. It happened despite speed limits on trains passing through elephant-inhabited forest areas. A Sri Lanka railway official said an 'internal investigation has been launched to establish if the driver had violated the speed limit'. Wildlife authorities released six elephants, aged between five and seven, back into the jungle on Thursday after rehabilitating them under a conservation programme that began in 1998. The Elephant Transit Home in Udawalawe, about 210 kilometres southeast of Colombo, cares for rescued animals and eventually returns them to the wild. The sanctuary is a major tourist attraction and holds 57 elephants that had been abandoned, injured, or separated from their herds. Sri Lankan authorities believe the transit home's strategy of rewilding rescued elephants, rather than domesticating them, has been successful. The home has returned 187 elephants to the wild since 1998. Conservation efforts have become increasingly urgent due to the escalating conflict between wild elephants and farmers. Official figures from Sri Lanka's wildlife department show that 4,835 elephants and 1,601 people have been killed in the worsening conflict since 2010. — AFP
France 24
5 days ago
- General
- France 24
Three Sri Lankan elephants killed in blow to conservation efforts
Wildlife officials said one elephant was run over by a passenger train in the island's northeast, while two others were found shot dead in the central and eastern regions. Elephants are protected by law and considered sacred due to their significance in Buddhist culture, but farmers often kill them to protect their crops. Human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka has resulted in the deaths of nearly 200 elephants and 55 people so far this year. "We have launched investigations into the shootings of the two elephants, it looks like the work of local farmers," a police spokesman in the capital Colombo said. The train accident occurred in Gallella, the same area where seven elephants were killed by a locomotive in February, the worst incident of its kind in Sri Lanka. It happened despite speed limits on trains passing through elephant-inhabited forest areas. A Sri Lanka railway official said an "internal investigation has been launched to establish if the driver had violated the speed limit". Wildlife authorities released six elephants, aged between five and seven, back into the jungle on Thursday after rehabilitating them under a conservation programme that began in 1998. The Elephant Transit Home in Udawalawe, about 210 kilometres (130 miles) southeast of Colombo, cares for rescued animals and eventually returns them to the wild. The sanctuary is a major tourist attraction and holds 57 elephants that had been abandoned, injured, or separated from their herds. Sri Lankan authorities believe the transit home's strategy of rewilding rescued elephants, rather than domesticating them, has been successful. The home has returned 187 elephants to the wild since 1998. Conservation efforts have become increasingly urgent due to the escalating conflict between wild elephants and farmers. Official figures from Sri Lanka's wildlife department show that 4,835 elephants and 1,601 people have been killed in the worsening conflict since 2010.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Yahoo
Owners of pet lion arrested after it jumped a wall and attacked a woman and two children in Pakistan
The owners of a pet lion that jumped a wall and attacked a woman and two children in the Pakistani city of Lahore have been arrested. The woman and her two young children, aged 5 and 7, were taken to hospital, after being attacked in an alleyway when the lion escaped from a farmhouse in the neighborhood of Johan town on Thursday. Security camera footage released by police showed the lion leaping over a concrete wall and pouncing on a woman from behind, knocking her to the ground. A man can be seen running out of the property the lion escaped from with an object in hand and chasing the lion away from the woman, before the wild cat takes off further down the road where the children were attacked. They sustained injuries to their faces and arms but are now in stable condition, according to the Associated Press news agency. Lahore police said in a video posted to social media that the lion had escaped from an open cage at the farmhouse and that it was recaptured by the owners, who promptly put it in a vehicle and went into hiding in another district. Muhammad Faisal Kamran, Deputy Inspector General of Lahore Police Operations, said three people were arrested on Friday morning. 'We've also captured the lion and transferred it to Wildlife authorities,' Kamran said. Lahore police shared an image of three men in a police cell and video of the lion in a cage. Local media reported that the owner did not have a license to keep the lion and would be prosecuted under the Wildlife Act, meaning they could face a maximum prison term of seven years or a fine equating to $17,500. CNN has sought confirmation from the Punjab Wildlife and Parks department. Owning wild cats as pets is seen as a status symbol in Pakistan and is not uncommon, but a license is required, and large cats must be kept outside city limits. 'This unfortunate incident highlights how wild animals are often kept in such places without a license, or permission — with no legal procedures followed — endangering the lives of many people,' Kamran said. The Punjab government announced Sunday that it was undertaking a province-wide crackdown on those keeping lions without a license. So far, 13 lions have been captured and five individuals arrested in connection with violating wildlife regulations.
CNN
07-07-2025
- CNN
Owners of pet lion arrested after it jumped a wall and attacked a woman and two children in Pakistan
The owners of a pet lion that jumped a wall and attacked a woman and two children in the Pakistani city of Lahore have been arrested. The woman and her two young children, aged 5 and 7, were taken to hospital, after being attacked in an alleyway when the lion escaped from a farmhouse in the neighborhood of Johan town on Thursday. Security camera footage released by police showed the lion leaping over a concrete wall and pouncing on a woman from behind, knocking her to the ground. A man can be seen running out of the property the lion escaped from with an object in hand and chasing the lion away from the woman, before the wild cat takes off further down the road where the children were attacked. They sustained injuries to their faces and arms but are now in stable condition, according to the Associated Press news agency. Lahore police said in a video posted to social media that the lion had escaped from an open cage at the farmhouse and that it was recaptured by the owners, who promptly put it in a vehicle and went into hiding in another district. Muhammad Faisal Kamran, Deputy Inspector General of Lahore Police Operations, said three people were arrested on Friday morning. 'We've also captured the lion and transferred it to Wildlife authorities,' Kamran said. Lahore police shared an image of three men in a police cell and video of the lion in a cage. Local media reported that the owner did not have a license to keep the lion and would be prosecuted under the Wildlife Act, meaning they could face a maximum prison term of seven years or a fine equating to $17,500. CNN has sought confirmation from the Punjab Wildlife and Parks department. Owning wild cats as pets is seen as a status symbol in Pakistan and is not uncommon, but a license is required, and large cats must be kept outside city limits. 'This unfortunate incident highlights how wild animals are often kept in such places without a license, or permission — with no legal procedures followed — endangering the lives of many people,' Kamran said. The Punjab government announced Sunday that it was undertaking a province-wide crackdown on those keeping lions without a license. So far, 13 lions have been captured and five individuals arrested in connection with violating wildlife regulations.
CNN
07-07-2025
- CNN
Owners of pet lion arrested after it jumped a wall and attacked a woman and two children in Pakistan
The owners of a pet lion that jumped a wall and attacked a woman and two children in the Pakistani city of Lahore have been arrested. The woman and her two young children, aged 5 and 7, were taken to hospital, after being attacked in an alleyway when the lion escaped from a farmhouse in the neighborhood of Johan town on Thursday. Security camera footage released by police showed the lion leaping over a concrete wall and pouncing on a woman from behind, knocking her to the ground. A man can be seen running out of the property the lion escaped from with an object in hand and chasing the lion away from the woman, before the wild cat takes off further down the road where the children were attacked. They sustained injuries to their faces and arms but are now in stable condition, according to the Associated Press news agency. Lahore police said in a video posted to social media that the lion had escaped from an open cage at the farmhouse and that it was recaptured by the owners, who promptly put it in a vehicle and went into hiding in another district. Muhammad Faisal Kamran, Deputy Inspector General of Lahore Police Operations, said three people were arrested on Friday morning. 'We've also captured the lion and transferred it to Wildlife authorities,' Kamran said. Lahore police shared an image of three men in a police cell and video of the lion in a cage. Local media reported that the owner did not have a license to keep the lion and would be prosecuted under the Wildlife Act, meaning they could face a maximum prison term of seven years or a fine equating to $17,500. CNN has sought confirmation from the Punjab Wildlife and Parks department. Owing wild cats as pets is seen as a status symbol in Pakistan and is not uncommon, but a license is required, and large cats must be kept outside city limits. 'This unfortunate incident highlights how wild animals are often kept in such places without a license, or permission — with no legal procedures followed — endangering the lives of many people,' Kamran said. The Punjab government announced Sunday that it was undertaking a province-wide crackdown on those keeping lions without a license. So far, 13 lions have been captured and five individuals arrested in connection with violating wildlife regulations.
