The Government is to prepare a well defined national plan on conservation and management to solve the human-elephant conflict with the data collected during the countrys first ever islanwide survey on elephants, which concluded yesterday evening.
The water-hole based survey, which costs $ 210,000, project was commenced on Friday from the Minneriya National Wildlife Sanctuary and carried out in all national parks. While countrys wild elephant population is dwindling with humans encroaching their habitats, according to predictions by wildlife experts there are about 5000 to 6000 elephants in the country.
He said the Asian elephant experts- Prof. Sukumar of the Indian Wildlife Institute and Bruce Read from the Florida Ringing Centre, USA- participated in the survey, which carried out in 1,500 locations frequented by elephants.
Minister Chandrasena said the existing data on countrys elephants population and its behavioural patterns were not adequate to implement a National Plan.