COLOMBO — Sri Lanka continues to grapple with the human toll of Cyclone Ditwah, which triggered devastating floods and landslides killing 650 people and leaving another 200 missing. In the wake of the human disaster, however, a different tragedy has unfolded largely unnoticed. Across floodplains, protected areas and farmlands, thousands of animals have also fallen victim to one of the worst flooding events the Indian Ocean island has experienced in decades. Unlike the human casualties, however, the true scale of wildlife deaths may never be known. In Somawathiya National Park, one of Sri Lanka’s most important dry-zone wildlife refuges, wildlife officers have reported extensive mortality among wild animals as well as livestock. The park, which lies within the Mahaweli River Basin, is naturally adapted to seasonal flooding. But the sheer intensity and duration of Ditwah-induced floods appear to have overwhelmed even these flood-tolerant ecosystems. Carcasses of spotted deer, left, and wild boar, right, were discovered after floodwaters receded inside Somawathiya National Park. There were several instances of dead wildlife being found, underscoring the heavy toll on animals. Image courtesy of Amitha Sri Nalaka. Dozens of dead deer in single location According to Amitha Sri Nalaka, a local wildlife officer stationed at Somawathiya, large numbers of sambar (Rusa unicolor) and spotted deer (Axis axis) were found dead across the park after the floodwaters began receding. “Cattle herders who entered the park searching for their lost livestock reported seeing dozens of dead spotted deer at single locations in several places,” Nalaka told…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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