Lanka’s iconic tuskers 'falling like dominoes,' conservationists warn

(Mongabay)"The Gathering" in Sri Lanka's Minneriya National Park is said to be among the world's most spectacular wildlife phenomena.

- 

Every year, hundreds of elephants gather on a dry lakebed in the park that becomes fertile grazing land during the months of June through August.

Tuskers, or male elephants with tusks weighing more than 100 pounds (45 kilograms), are one of the main attractions for visitors during this event, but conservationists are now concerned these bulls are quickly disappearing, Mongabay contributor Malaka Rodrigo reported in March 2025.

Three of the region's most iconic tuskers have died or been injured in recent years. This includes a single-tusked bull elephant named Unicorn, who was a "true king," Rodrigo writes, often spotted alongside female elephants during the gathering. But Unicorn was found dead on March 17 after being shot by unidentified individuals.