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The tip of an elephant trunk contains nerve endings making it very sensitive and the pain would have been intense. Dr. Chandana Jayasinghe – who led the team of veterinary surgeons who treated the elephants, said, the swelling on the trunk made it difficult for it to breathe or even drink water. There is a whistling sound when it inhales and the elephant has to lie in a water hole to drink water. However, both the elephant and the tusker were not weak, indicating that the explosion probably occurred just a few days before the animals were discovered, he said.One of them was a tusker and the sole of its left fore limb had been completely smashed by the mine explosion, while its lower left fore-limb was swollen to more than twice its normal size. Meanwhile the elephant would have been in agony as the tip of its trunk had been ripped off.
DWC’s veterinary team also risked their lives trying to reach the elephants as the area has still not been cleared of mines. But the team braved the risk to assist the elephants in pain. Silawathura is close to the Wilpattu border and was once a major Sea Tiger base. Armed forces captured Silavatturai after a fierce battle during the last phase of the war and the retreating LTTE cadres laid hundreds of anti-personnel mines (Jonny battas) around their camps. Although armed forces and other organisations are involved in clearing up operations, the efforts are more concentrated around populated areas in the north east. The last phase of the war was fought in the thick jungles that extend for thousands of hectares making the clearing of mines in this area a daunting task.
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