277 wild elephants killed up until now

7 October 2024 09:46 pm Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 5 Bookmark

CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA Follow

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Colombo, October 7 (Daily Mirror) - While there has been a decrease in elephant deaths this year, a total of 277 elephants have been killed up to October due to both natural and man-made causes, according to the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

As many as 488 elephants were killed last year.

Following investigations conducted by the department, it was revealed that elephant deaths were mainly due to ad hoc electric fences erected by farmers to protect their crops.

The department investigated personal electric fences and decided to remove the illegal ones. Instructions were given to ensure that electric fences were installed legally.

The department said that even legal electric fences did not meet proper standards. Many personal electric fences were monitored. These precautions have helped reduce the number of elephant deaths.

As a result, the number of elephant deaths due to electrocution decreased to 35 this year, compared to nearly 70 last year.

The department created a journal to outline steps to reduce elephant fatalities.

Comments - 5

Umar Perera Tuesday, 08 October 2024 06:58 AM

Will the new President and his team attend to this ongoing tragedy by mandating recommendations from true conservationists and wildlife experts?

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Man Tuesday, 08 October 2024 07:01 AM

Where are the NGO organizations who talk against taking elephants in processions while their dogs are tied or in kennels? Taming marauding wild elephants are essential and then auction. And need to pay compensation for the damages must be done by means of a tax as wildlife protection tax, taken from tourists of such wildlife areas. Before that, forests encroached by farmers ( with the political patronage of Chandrasena and the like) must be released to wildlife.

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Man Tuesday, 08 October 2024 07:01 AM

Where are the NGO organizations who talk against taking elephants in processions while their dogs are tied or in kennels? Taming marauding wild elephants are essential and then auction. And need to pay compensation for the damages must be done by means of a tax as wildlife protection tax, taken from tourists of such wildlife areas. Before that, forests encroached by farmers ( with the political patronage of Chandrasena and the like) must be released to wildlife.

2 2

Rip Winkle Tuesday, 08 October 2024 09:24 AM

There was and still is a suspicion that some elements were keen on eliminating Sri Lanka's wild elephant population rather than finding a solution to the elephant/human conflict. Seems to me like these suspicions aren't unfounded.

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D P P Prasad Tuesday, 08 October 2024 10:19 AM

This is a big tragedy. What are the root causes of tragedy. The history of this tragedy goes back to early 1980s During the Government then ruled by late JR introduced the accelerated Mahawili development project 1The construction of the reservoirs by clearing the forests where the elephants were moving freely 2 The clearance of the forests for the expansion of the agriculture specially in order to increase the yield of the paddy 3 clearance of the forests for the sugar cane cultivation. But no success is to be seen 4 The continuous encroachment of the forest lands for the range of cultivations including Chena 5 Delay in the implementation of the elephant management plan by the department of wildlife 6 Delay in the implementation of smart forest patrol systems by both forest conservation and wildlife departments 7 Delay in the formation of rural forest vigilant committees 8 Delay in implementation ofnature based ecotourism best practices in collaboration with the tourist board

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