COLOMBO – A senior Buddhist monk has died after being attacked by an elephant at his own temple in Sri Lanka, police said.
Bellanwila Wimalarathana, 77, was violently pushed to the ground by the tusker, but the mahout managed to prevent the monk from being gored, the WIO News reported.
The monk was rushed to hospital but died a day later. He was also a vice chancellor of a state-run university and becomes the first high profile monk to be killed by a tamed elephant in the country.
The elephant was a gift to the temple by the government of Myanmar in mid-2013 and it had been named “Myan Kumara.”
Elephants are considered sacred animals protected by law in Sri Lanka. Several Buddhist temples have pet elephants which are paraded at annual pageants.
