By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera

Parliamentarian Jagath Priyankara proposed that elephants should be exported, claiming that the elephant population has increased drastically in the country.  

He told Parliament that Sri Lanka has a larger elephant population in comparison to the extent of the country and proposed to Minister of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation either to export the wild elephants, release them to sanctuaries or provide them to people for domestication.

Responding to the proposal, Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi admitted the fact that the elephant population has increased and said it has increased even more than in India.  

She said the elephant population has increased as natural deaths have decreased due to measures taken to protect them.  

“Sri Lanka was famous for ivory and ivory products in the past. Foreign traders came to Sri Lanka to trade such products. The reason for that was there were many elephant deaths those days. But, now natural deaths of elephants have decreased. We need to find ways to prevent harm to humans and damage to property while protecting the elephants,” she said.