A special raid was conducted in the Kalawewa North area yesterday (November 4) under the ‘Hasthi Sena’ operation, which aims to protect wild elephants and reduce human-elephant conflict, the Ministry of Environment said.
The raid was carried out jointly by the Sri Lanka Army and officers of the Department of Wildlife Conservation.
During the operation, authorities recovered a number of items suspected to be used for illegal hunting, including firearms, ammunition, bullets, gunpowder, animal traps and locally made explosive devices known as ‘Hakkapatas’.
Venison and deer antlers were also recovered during the raid.
The ‘Hasthi Sena’ operation aims to protect wildlife, prevent illegal hunting activities and minimise human-elephant conflict. Similar raids will continue with the participation of relevant authorities.
