Celebrating World Elephant Day

By Srilal Miththapala
Today, August 12th is World Elephant Day. It is a day reserved to celebrate the life of this magnificent and gentle giant of the animal kingdom. 

Sri Lanka boasts of her own Asian sub species of elephant ‘elephas maximus maximus’, with some 6,500 or more roaming the wilds, one of the highest densities of Asian wild elephants in the world. 

However, all’s not well with the Sri Lankan elephant with more than 350 dying each year (on average ) due to the Human Elephant Conflict (HEC). Many scientists who study Sri Lankan wild elephants are of the view that maybe the tipping point has already been reached, where viable, stable populations are not prevalent in Sri Lanka anymore.

It is imperative therefore that all stakeholders urgently get-together and implement a holistic, overarching conservation plan (details of which have been talked about for so long)  to save this wonderful animal that has brought so much fame and glory to Sri Lanka.