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Sri Lanka mourns Kavantissa, an iconic tusker
Kavantissa died of a gunshot injury after monks, politicians and veterinarians joined an effort to save him, drawing sharp criticism of Sri Lanka's wildlife authorities.
On air: Hank Ledger, Dr. Nina Byte and Dale Bearman on Weekend EditionPublished
Photo: National Aeronautics & Space Administration · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBNWatch it as it aired: Hank Ledger, Dr. Nina Byte and Dale Bearman on this story, from Weekend Edition at 11:30 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Mongabay's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by Mongabay: “Sri Lanka mourns iconic tusker amid renewed calls to address human-elephant conflict”.
- Covered on BBN on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 11:30 AM ET on Weekend Edition, by Hank Ledger, Dr. Nina Byte and Dale Bearman.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSri Lanka is mourning Kavantissa, one of its most famous wild tuskers, who died after a gunshot injury.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentPoliticians, Buddhist monks and veterinarians worked together to try to save him, and his death has set off public grief and sharp criticism of wildlife authorities.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorIt has also renewed calls to address the wider conflict between people and elephants in Sri Lanka.
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Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: PeteStacman24 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Ron Clausen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Thomas Wolf , www.foto-tw.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Saturday, October 24, 2026 · the U.S. archive · all months
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