Committee begins probe into tusker Kawanthissa’s death

A committee appointed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake began investigating the death of tusker Kawanthissa today (October 21), while discussing measures to protect wild elephants and establish a national elephant conservation programme.

The committee held its first meeting at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo this morning, with Presidential Chief of Staff Prabath Chandrakeerthi presiding over the meeting.

The committee is chaired by former Ministry Secretary A. H. Sarath Wijesinghe. It was appointed by the President to investigate all aspects of Kawanthissa’s death in the Siyambalangamuwa area of Galgamuwa on or around October 16, 2026.

The committee is also tasked with developing standard operating procedures to ensure the welfare of wild elephants and making recommendations for a national programme to protect them.

During the meeting, members held extensive discussions on the possible cause of Kawanthissa’s death, the nature of the injuries sustained by the elephant and the intervention carried out by the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

The discussions also focused on developing scientifically based standard operating procedures to determine the immediate action required when similar incidents occur in the future.

Establishing a Rapid Response Veterinary Unit to ensure swift veterinary intervention in the field was another key matter discussed at the meeting.

It was also decided to seek assistance from local and foreign experts to support the investigation and the development of recommendations for elephant conservation.

Those present at the meeting included Additional Secretary to the President W. W. Harrison, who serves as the committee’s coordinator, and committee chairperson A. H. Sarath Wijesinghe.

Other committee members who attended were Professor T. Saminda Fernando, Professor P. G. Anil Pushpakumara, Professor U. K. Kalinga Padmalal, Dr Jagath Gunawardena and Attorney-at-Law Charaka Jayaratne.