– Vedda Chief Wanaspathi Uruwarigelage Vannila Ettho’s house had been ruined by a rogue elephant on Thursday night.Vannila Ettho said the marauding jumbo that struted towards the house furiously pulled down the walls.The people of his clan rushed to the scene and removed the debris of the house and commenced repairs.Vannila Ettho pointed out that the human-elephant conflict was a serious issue affecting several parts of the country.He stressed that steps should be taken to resolve it permanantly.

“The threat of wild elephants has been escalating in Dambana and the surrounding villages. It is a waste of money to issue elephnat crackers. The maruading herds are not scared of elephnat crackers now. They are used to it,” he further said.