Sri Lanka’s elephants and their struggle for coexistence

Forest lands belonging to Devagiripura Rajamaha Viharaya cleared

Firecracker thrown at Sando

Apart from Sando many other elephants, especially in the North- Western Province are facing challenges as they struggle to coexist with humans

Just taking punitive action, due to public pressure, on the miscreants at this particular incident will achieve no lasting change

The usual safari drivers know how to react when Sando is around, but since this driver was new he has made various attempts to keep the elephant away

A video of a Tusker being harassed at Yala National Park recently went viral on social media. Wildlife groups and activists were quick to react to the incident as it is a known fact that Sando is an aggressive elephant roaming this area at this time of the year. However, apart from Sando many other elephants, especially in the North- Western Province are facing challenges as they struggle to coexist with humans.

Not the first instance of wildlife abuse in Yala : WNPS 
Expressing their disappointment in a statement, the Wildlife & Nature Protection Society said that National Parks have been created for the conservation of wildlife and they always have right of way. “The fact that in addition to the use of horns, and shouting at the elephant, that a Thunder Flash was also thrown to chase him away, all inside of a National Park, begs the question as to what discipline and management is being exercised in this natural, National asset? This is not the first instance of wildlife abuse within Yala, and it will continue to happen as long as it is considered just a ‘Cash Cow’, to be exploited to the limit. And what then?”

“In 2017, representatives of all the relevant stakeholders of Yala, inclusive of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, developed a comprehensive plan - “An Action Plan for Improving the Overall Wildlife Tourism Experience in Yala National Park (Block 1)”. This included short, medium and long-term strategies to ensure not only that the present stakeholders did not lose their livelihoods, but that visitors to the Park, especially those from overseas, would be given a wildlife experience befitting the international status of this Park. Sadly, as with many such initiatives, nothing was done to implement these proposals. The WNPS firmly believes that if the Policymakers have any real intention of finding a long-term solution to this problem, then the strategies recommended in this Plan need to be acted on. Just taking punitive action, due to public pressure, on the miscreants at this particular incident will achieve no lasting change. It will just happen again, to the detriment of the wildlife of the Park,” the statement read. 

The fact that in addition to the use of horns, and shouting at the elephant, that a Thunder Flash was also thrown to chase him away, all inside of a National Park, begs the question as to what discipline and management is being exercised in this natural, National asset?

The Jeep in question is an outside vehicle : Yala wildlife official 
However, even though it appeared that the safari Jeep drivers were harassing the elephant, Yala wildlife officials had a different interpretation to the story. Speaking to the Daily Mirror, an official at the Park said that tusker Sando is usually an aggressive elephant and is seen in this area during this time of the year. “People visit Yala to spot Sando rather than spotting leopards. However, there’s a construction happening at Patalangala and the Jeep in question is an outside Jeep. The usual safari drivers know how to react when Sando is around, but since this driver was new he has made various attempts to keep the elephant away. A wildlife officer was also inside this vehicle. When flashlights didn’t work they have thrown the firecracker.”

The official further said that the driver couldn’t go in the reverse direction since there was huge traffic. “It’s difficult to handle Sando but most safari drives know how to react in such a situation. Last year we filed action against someone who tried to harass this elephant.”

As a solution to the issue, the official said that a safari vehicle will patrol the area when outside jeeps enter the park. “The elephant is under stress as all vehicles go in that direction.”

Has ‘Walawe Kota’ gone missing?
A recent news report revealed that the popular dwarf elephant at Udawalawe National Park has not been spotted for some time. According to researchers, both a female and a male dwarf elephant have been spotted from time to time. When contacted, R. G. R. S. Ranatunga, custodian of the Udawalawe National Park said that it’s difficult to spot this elephant. “Only a few visitors and researchers have seen it. The issue is that nobody has seen it as yet for this year. This is probably because there were fewer tourists during the COVID period. We get information from safari drivers in case if they have spotted it. But so far we haven’t received such information. The elephant was last spotted in 2020,” he added.

Destruction of elephant corridors in Galgamuwa
Nearly 40 acres of forest land belonging to the Devagiripura Rajamaha Vihara in Galgamuwa has been cleared for a commercial construction. This forest acts as an elephant corridor for elephants to move from Palukadawala to Tabbowa sanctuary along Galgamuwa-Tekkawaththa forest. Sometime back, forest lands belonging to Nakolagane Rajamaha Viharaya and Thorawamayilawa Rajamaha Viharaya too have been destroyed. Speaking to the Daily Mirror, an officer at the Galgamuwa Wildlife Office said that a majority of elephants live in forest lands that belong to temples and the government. “But as per the Temporalities Ordinance these are private lands and there’s nobody to overlook these matters. As a result, temples clear these lands for private ventures. We don’t have the power to intervene. But as more habitats get destroyed, these elephants will move into villages, aggravating the human-elephant conflict.”

Elephant corridors won’t be disturbed : Prof. Gunawardana
However, when contacted, Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Secretary Prof. Kapila Gunawardana said that these forest lands won’t be cleared on a mass scale. “Elephant corridors won’t be disturbed. People want to see some sort of development in this country. As such, we only want to develop lands that haven’t been developed so far.”

Speaking on the aforementioned incident Prof. Gunawardana said that people who reside on Jayabhumi lands have resorted to clearing forests areas in this manner. “The temple has not cleared any land,” he added.