Sri Lankan wildlife officers treated an elephant who accidentally bit into disguised firecrackers on a farming area in Kekirawa on Friday 28 October.

The baby elephant ate ‘hakka patas’ (jaw bomb) firecrackers -- explosives hidden in bait that go off when bitten into.

They are a cruel deterrent used by some farmers in Sri Lanka to protect their farms from wild elephants.

Unfortunately, they can cause a slow and painful death from infection, or starvation and dehydration if eating and drinking is made impossible.

This baby elephant was unable to eat any food and was walking in the surrounding area in great pain when the wildlife officials decided to treat it.

The vets came and sedated the calf before treating it. One side of its mouth was destroyed by the firecrackers and it was in a very bad condition.

But the calf was treated and later released into the wild in the hope it would recover and survive its encounter with the explosive trap.

wildlife officers treat to tusker who eat fire crakers on the farming aria at kekirawaA baby elephant was injured in Kekirawa area after eating the Hakka Patus crackers used to protect the farm from wild elephants. The baby elephant was unable to eat any food and was walking in the surrounding area in great pain and then the wildlife officials decided to treat the elephant. The doctors came and sedated the calf and then started treating the calf. One side of the elephant's mouth was destroyed by firecrackers and it was in a very bad condition. But the calf was treated and later released into the wild.