Kawanthissa (also spelt Kavantissa) was a huge wild tusker of the Galgamuwa area in Kurunegala District, about 11 feet tall with tusks over six feet long, and was called Sri Lanka’s largest and tallest living tusker. He was first seen in 2008 and named in 2015, and villagers knew him as gentle. In September 2026 he was found with a gunshot wound on his right foreleg; despite treatment he died in a paddy field in Galgamuwa on 16 October 2026. The exact cause of death was disputed, and police arrested a suspect for shooting at him.
Sources
- Sri Lanka mourns loss of iconic tusker Kawanthissa — Newswire, 16 Oct 2026
- Kawanthissa (death and arrest report) — Ada Derana, 18 Oct 2026
- Kawanthissa: The Rise and Fall of Galgamuwa's Gentle Giant — The Morning, 19 Oct 2026
- Sri Lanka's largest living tusker 'Kavantissa' facing serious threat to his life — Ada Derana, 4 Aug 2025
- Meet the famous tuskers of Sri Lanka (Hesandi Ravisinghe) — Harbingers' Magazine, 3 Jul 2026