Good bye, King

We lost more than a magnificent tusker last week. With the death of Kawantissa, we have lost one of our most recognisable wild elephants, a living symbol of our natural heritage, a source of national pride and a reminder of the extraordinary wildlife that makes this land unique. Shot and fatally wounded this week, the beloved tusker has become yet another victim of Sri Lanka’s enduring human-elephant conflict. His death is a tragedy that demands more than expressions of grief. It demands action.

Every year, hundreds of elephants die across the country, many at the hands of humans. Some fall victim to gunshots, others to explosives hidden in food, electrocution, railway collisions and other consequences of an increasingly dangerous struggle for space. These deaths have become so commonplace that there is a risk of treating them as an inevitable cost of living alongside wildlife. They must never be accepted as such.

Yet the death of Kawantissa strikes a particularly painful chord. While every elephant’s life matters, the loss of an iconic tusker, known and admired by thousands, carries a profound emotional weight. His majestic presence, often captured in videos that spread across social media, brought people closer to the wonders of the country’s wilderness. His appearances near his herd became a spectacle for wildlife enthusiasts and tourists alike, offering a glimpse of nature at its most magnificent.

Kawantissa was also an economic asset. Sri Lanka’s wildlife is central to the country’s tourism appeal, attracting visitors eager to experience elephants in their natural habitat. A celebrated tusker such as Kawantissa could draw tourists, support local livelihoods and strengthen the country’s reputation as a destination for wildlife experiences. His death represents not only an irreplaceable ecological and cultural loss but also a blow to the communities and businesses that benefit from responsible wildlife tourism.

But it would be wrong to view his killing as an isolated incident. Kawantissa joins a growing list of celebrated tuskers whose lives have been cut short by human actions. Each loss exposes the failure of successive administrations to address a conflict that has persisted for decades, despite repeated promises, substantial expenditure and numerous official initiatives.

In 2020, following extensive scientific research and consultation, a National Action Plan for the Mitigation of Human-Elephant Conflict was developed. It offered a comprehensive, science-based framework for a more sustainable coexistence between people and elephants. Rather than relying on conventional responses, such as driving elephants into protected areas or attempting to contain them through extensive barriers, the plan emphasised measures tailored to elephant behaviour, movement patterns and the needs of affected communities.

The government must finally implement this plan with urgency, consistency and accountability. It must invest in proven mitigation measures, protect elephant corridors, strengthen community safeguards and ensure that affected farmers receive practical, timely support. Conservation cannot succeed by asking rural communities to bear the costs of coexistence alone. Nor can it succeed by treating elephants as intruders in landscapes that have long formed part of their natural range.

The wild elephant population, estimated at around 7,500, faces mounting pressures from habitat fragmentation, human encroachment and conflict. If the state cannot protect a creature as prominent and widely recognised as Kawantissa, the prospects for other elephants are deeply troubling.

The grief felt across the country over the killing of Kavantissa must at least lead to tangible change. So, goodbye, King. Hopefully, your death will not become another forgotten statistic. Let it be the moment Sri Lanka finally decides that its magnificent elephants deserve more than admiration in life and mourning in death.