Srilanka, July 21 -- Environment Minister Dr. Dammika Patabendi has called for a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe into a spate of suspicious elephant deaths caused by gunshots, saying that the killings may be part of a deliberate attempt by a group to discredit the Government, Deputy Environment Minister Anton Jayakody said yesterday.

He said this in response to our query about the recent surge in the number of elephant deaths.

The Deputy Minister said that there was a marked increase in the number of fatalities this year, with 198 elephant deaths recorded in the first six months of this year.

The causes, he said, included train collisions, various other accidents, and shootings.

At least three wild elephants were found d...