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Elephants In Sri Lanka Are Rummaging Through Garbage, Eating Plastic Waste

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Shreya Chauhan
Shreya ChauhanUpdated on Oct 09, 2020, 18:08 IST

Sometime ago images of an elephant covered in rubbish, searching for food in the garbage dumped by tourists, went viral in India. Sadly, it is becoming a common sight in other parts of the world as well. 

Images, reportedly from Sri Lanka, show a herd of elephants rummaging through a rubbish dump that contains a lot of plastic waste as well. The pictures show the wild animals picking through plastic reportedly at a refuse facility in Oluvil, where they can be seen eating some of the rubbish they find.

The garbage dump encroaches on and defiles the herd's natural habitat in the eastern province. Elephants’ health is at risk because there are chances they consumed plastic while rummaging for food.

Jaffna-based photographer, Tharmaplan Tilaxan, witnessed the sad sight, and captured the images."In the eastern province, a herd of wild elephants have picked up a peculiar and sad habit. Since of late, these elephants have been seen foraging for food in garbage dumps,” LadBible quotes Tilaxan as saying. 

The dump is by the forest that borders the Ampara district. The waste has spread closer to the forest attracting elephant herds looking for food. 

Also Read: Family Saves Baby Bear Whose Head Was Trapped In A Plastic Container  Initially a fence was put up around the dump, but it has broken and now animals can enter the area freely.

Animals consuming plastic is a matter of grave concern as the material cannot be broken down by the body. Multiple videos of plastic waste being taken out of the bodies of birds, snakes, whales, cows have shown that. 

Also Read: Sea Creature Had Plastic In Its Gut, Even Before Its Discovery

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