Massive elephant conservation drive

by Ananda KANNANGARA

A massive wild elephant conservation program to protect the remaining 6,000 wild elephants in forest areas islandwide has been launched by the Wildlife Department.

Accordingly, the Department is expected to keep a close tab on elephants moving from their original territories to other areas where there are human settlements. Department statistics reveal that a record number of 3,800 wild elephants are currently living in the Wayamba forest areas and in the Mahaweli Zone.

Wildlife Department, Elephant Conservation Program, Deputy Director W.S.K. Pathiratna told the Sunday Observer that nearly 160 wild elephants who lived in various forest areas had died during the year.

Records also show that nearly 225 elephants had died during 2008.

It is reported that most of these deaths occurred not due to natural causes, but as a result of human-elephant conflicts.

According to the senior official, shootings, train accidents, getting entangled in death traps and electrified fences are the main reasons for the untimely deaths of many elephants.The Department also revealed that a large number of elephants in war-affected areas had lost their lives in the past, but this situation has drastically changed, especially with the cessation of the war.Environment Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said due to various measures taken by his Ministry through the `Elephant Conservation Program’, the untimely deaths of elephants have been controlled to a great extent.