SADC pushes CITES to allow ivory trade

Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana and Namibia, which account for an estimated 61% of elephants in Africa, have submitted their position papers and are confident of getting the green light on raw ivory trade at the forthcoming Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meeting scheduled for Colombo, Sri Lanka in May.

Signatories to CITES have until the end of this week to submit documents for consideration at the forthcoming CITES Cop18 meeting.

Southern African countries, which account for 61% of Africa’s elephant population, are for first time speaking with one voice in calling for the lifting of the ban in ivory trade.

As part of their submission, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana are seeking the green light on international trade in registered raw ivory.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks) Public Relations Manager, Mr Tinashe Farawo said the country has already submitted its position paper, adding that notable achievements have been recorded since the last CITES meeting in elephant conservation and management.

“Together with the other SADC countries, Zimbabwe has submitted the position paper ahead of CITES Cop18. We have always said our elephants are not endangered and have over the past few years exceeded the carrying capacity,” Mr Farawo said1.

According to the 12-page proposal, the four countries are seeking the amendment of the annotation to the listing of the elephant populations in Appendix ii.

The listing of a species in Appendix i effectively prevents all commercial international trade, while those listed in Appendix ii can be traded under special permit conditions.

Wth a combined elephant population estimated to be around 250 000, the four countries are hopeful that this time around, they will be able to convince the CITES family to reconsider the international ban in ivory trade.

Critics of CITES however feel the decisions by the global body are geared at hurting developing countries and have called upon Southern African countries to reconsider their membership.

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Caring for the treasured jumbos

The month began on a sad note for Sri Lanka’s wildlife enthusiasts, when an 11-year-old tusker was shot dead in Udawalawe National Park, about 160 km southeast of Colombo. The results of the post-mortem examination pointed to a fatal bullet injury in the animal’s head.
Caretakers in the park told local media that the calf, which had two tusks, had no history of menacing people living in the area. Authorities have since been trying to find the person who fired at the elephant.

In fact, 2018 hasn’t been great for Sri Lanka’s tuskers, which are venerated as a “national treasure” and have been a huge tourist draw for decades. As many as 277 elephants have died during the year, due to causes such as electrocution, accidents on railway tracks, ‘Hakka Patas’ or traps made of explosives, and gun shots fired by people guarding their crops from the animal. Last year, as many as 256 tuskers died, according to Sri Lanka’s Department of Wildlife Conservation.

In a bid to address the growing threat to the elephant population — over 6,000 across the island — authorities are taking a range of measures from electric fencing to earmarking some zones as “protected areas”, Department spokesperson Hasini Sarathchandra said. “We are also trying to increase awareness among people through schools in areas near the different national parks,” she told The Hindu.

The task at hand is not easy, especially in the wake of growing environmental challenges — both natural and man-made. In July, a tusker was found washed out to sea and was later rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy, whose personnel spotted the animal in distress and towed it to the shore. Officials suspected that the elephant might have been swept into the sea while crossing the Kokkilai lagoon, near Mullaitivu and Trincomalee districts in the island’s northeast. The prolonged drought in the region was pushing the elephants off their usual course in the nearby jungles.

Illegal waste dumps

In September, authorities launched a probe into the death of wild elephants in a marsh in the island’s east. Illegal waste dumps have also emerged a serious source of danger for elephants. Earlier this year, AFP reported the spotting of a herd of wild elephants foraging for food in a mountain of garbage in central Sri Lanka. The animals were swallowing dangerous material from the illegal waste dump, including plastic mixed with decaying food. Meanwhile, human-elephant conflict remains a key challenge for people living near forest areas. Until November 30 this year, 88 people have died after being attacked by the beasts. “You can’t completely eliminate human-animal conflict, but you can mitigate it to a significant extent,” according to Jayantha Jayawardena, an expert on Asian elephants.

Especially so, in the case of fatal train accidents that make frequent headlines here. In September, a train transporting oil across the island killed two baby elephants and their mother. Last month, a passenger train hit and killed three young elephants in eastern Sri Lanka.

“The Wildlife and Railway Departments got together and agreed on certain measures to address this problem, but nothing gets implemented. The human element in this has been very negative,” said Mr. Jayawardena, managing trustee of the Biodiversity and Elephant Conservation Trust. In his view, authorities do not have a much-needed proactive conservation strategy, but are often “just firefighting”. “If an elephant calf inside a national park is shot dead, then where else can the animal be safe in our country,” he asked, referring to the December 1 incident.

Meera Srinivasan works for The Hindu and is based in Colombo.

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Sensors to warn trains of elephant crossings

In the wake of elephants being killed in train accidents, Sustainable Development, Wildlife and Regional Development Minister Sarath Fonseka yesterday said measures would be taken to implement high-tech sensors to prevent collisions between elephants and trains.

Speaking to reporters during a press conference at the United National Party (UNP) headquarters of Sirikotha, Fonseka yesterday said that his ministry had carried out tests to implement sensor systems to alert train drivers and help prevent accidents.

Fonseka said that prior to his appointment there were 83 incidents reported of elephants being hit by trains and after his appointment around 10 elephants were killed in three incidents.

Fonseka pointed out that the elephant population had risen during the past few decades.

“In 1985, 2,500 elephants were recorded and today that number has risen up to 7,000,” he added.

According to Fonseka, elephant habitats had increased due to the deforestation caused by development activities such as the Moragahakanda Dam Project and these populations had migrated to other sites, causing social issues.

“The elephants that lived in Moragahakanda have moved to places like Diyabeduma and those elephants were causing agricultural losses to the people who were living in the area. Once the Wayamba Ela Project starts, two-thirds of the habitat of elephants will be reduced.”

Responding to a question on the recent cases of leopards attacking people, he said that the Government would take action against those who killed animals listed as endangered species.

“People have to understand that killing a leopard is unacceptable. Those animals can be captured and relocated to safer areas.”

He pointed out that the Government had taken measures to raise awareness to prevent leopards being attacked.

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* Wildlife Minister expects to end Sri Lanka's human-elephant conflict in a year and a half

July 09, Colombo: Minister of Sustainable Development, Wildlife and Regional Development Field marshal Sarath Fonseka says that he expects to eliminate the threat of wild elephants across the country by 95 percent within the next 18 months.

He made this observation yesterday speaking at a meeting held at the Naula Divisional Secretariat.

The Minister recently visited the Matale district and remained there for two days to inquire into the destruction to the people's lives and properties by the wild elephants that had come to the villages due to the acquisition of land to construct the Moragahakanda Reservoir and deforestation.

During the visit Minister Fonseka held a meeting at the Naula divisional secretariat with the state officials, wildlife officers and the representatives of the villagers.

Many representatives of the villagers expressed their views on the human-elephant conflict at the meeting.

The Minister noted that last year 280 elephants and 80 persons have died due to the human-elephant conflict and the population of elephants in the country has exceeded 6,000.

Minister Fonseka said that the only solution for the human-elephant conflict is to install highest quality electric fences and that 4500 kilometers of electric fences have already been installed.

He said the Ministry has received funding to erect another 2500 kilometers of electric fences and to hire 5000 people to maintain those fences.

The Minister said the Wildlife Department has around 50 billion rupees and he expects to utilize the money to end the human-elephant conflict within the next year and half.

He said President's approval has been received to provide an appropriate uniform to the wildlife officers and also to provide a firearm similar to a T56 imported from China instead of the firearm they are using now. He said the firearm is for the officer's protection and no for shooting the elephants.


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The sad fate of our majestic elephants

Changes in land-usage patterns have resulted in a continuous contraction of the habitat available to the elephant. Today there is little room for the animals to roam.

Today, the rising elephant population and the continuously shrinking of land availability, has led to food scarcity among the growing numbers of beasts. The food scarcity has led herds roaming in villages and destroying crops.

At locations where vegetable refuse is dumped, the hungry beasts often rush to tractors bringing in loads of vegetable garbage

This has forced the workers to barricade the area before dumping the vegetable waste and remove the barriers once the tractors leave the location.

Elsewhere villagers pointed to jak trees and other crops damaged by elephants in their search for food.

The growing elephant population is leading to a rising number of clashes between man and beast.

It is time the authorities acted to bring the situation under control.


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Sri Lanka elephant kills top Buddhist monk

A senior Buddhist monk died in hospital Saturday, a day after being attacked by an elephant at his own temple near the capital, police said.

Bellanwila Wimalarathana, 77, was violently pushed to the ground by the tusker, but the mahout managed to prevent the monk from being gored, police said.

The monk was rushed to hospital but died a day later. He was also a vice chancellor of a state-run university and becomes the first high profile monk to be killed by a tamed elephant in the country.

The elephant was gift to the temple by the government of Myanmar in mid 2013 and it had been named "Myan Kumara."

Elephants are considered sacred animals protected by law in Sri Lanka. Several Buddhist temples have pet elephants which are paraded at annual pageants.

Despite laws protecting them, about 200 elephants are killed annually by farmers who say they stray onto their land and destroy crops. About 50 people are killed in wild elephant attacks annually.

Sri Lanka's elephant population has dwindled to just over 7,000, according to the latest census, down from an estimated 12,000 in 1900.

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Five arrested over elephant killing in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan police have arrested five men for allegedly killing a wild elephant, with officers seizing ivory and tusk-cutting tools, officials said Friday.

Villagers in the island’s northwest had alerted wildlife authorities after a popular local elephant called “Dala Poottuwa”, or crossed tusker, disappeared.

Its carcass was later found with a bullet wound in the skull.

Authorities broke up what they say is a poaching network as part of their investigation, charging five men with killing the elephant.

“They had in their possession several tools used to cut tusks (and) two ivory pendants,” said police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera.

Elephants are protected under Sri Lankan law and poachers can face the death penalty for killing one.
Tusked elephants are rare in Sri Lanka, accounting for less than five per cent of the island’s estimated elephant population of around 6000.

That figure has declined from the last official census of the island’s elephants, which identified more than 7300 animals.

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Sri Lanka bans open garbage dumping to protect elephants

Authorities in Sri Lanka on Wednesday banned the open dumping of garbage near wildlife sanctuaries to discourage elephants from foraging for rotting food scraps and risking their lives.

As an immediate measure, the cabinet ordered that electric fences be erected around more than 50 dumps near elephant habitats to keep the roaming beasts away.

"Around 300 wild elephants are hanging around them (dumps)," the government said in a statement.

"When elephants consume bacteria-infested waste... it shortens their lifespan."

The government said local authorities would be banned from dumping solid waste in the open, and would be required to establish recycling plants and use hygienic methods of waste disposal.

The government said an unspecified number of elephants had died after ingesting polythene sheeting - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2GTZutv_3M in landfill sites, adding wild herds were increasingly relying on garbage dumps for food.

Elephants are venerated in Buddhism, the majority religion in Sri Lanka, and are protected by law.

The wild elephant population in Sri Lanka is estimated at about 7,500, with another 200 domestic beasts.

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Sri Lanka not to allow elephants to be sent overseas

The Sri Lankan government will not allow the capture of elephants and having them transported overseas following concerns that the elephant population was increasing in the island country, a local media report said here Wednesday.

Minister of Sustainable Development and Wild Life Gamini Jayawickrama Perera said that capturing and sending elephants overseas was a a violation of the world wild life regulations and Sri Lanka would not grant permit for this.

He said Sri Lanka would next year carry out a census to obtain an accurate figure of all the wild elephants in the country.

In response to concerns raised on the human-elephant conflict, Perera said that the government was addressing the issue but the main reason that such conflicts occurred was due to a haphazard manner in which forests were being cleared.

Between 2010 to 2017, more than 25 people died as a result of wild elephant attacks in Sri Lanka while around 57 elephants also died during this period.

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Explosives killing hundreds of elephants, protection handicapped

A four-year-old elephant, which had suffered severe injuries after biting an explosives-packed device used to hunt wild animals for human consumption is fighting for its life.

The illegal device commonly known as —‘hakka pattas’ — a mixture of explosives with lead and ball bearings inserted into a piece of pumpkin had been placed in a location in Hambantota. It is at that site where the wounded animal had been found nearly two weeks after the incident.

The explosion had mutilated its jaw bones, teeth, and ripped off a foot long piece of trunk. The animal is being treated at the Elephant Transit Home Udawalawe.

Veterinary surgeon, Dr Malaka Abeywardena told the Sunday Times that even after three days of treatment, there had not been any improvement as of Friday.

“Due to the damage to the jaw and teeth of the elephant calf it has to take liquid food. It is malnourished and weak making anaesthetised surgery impossible.’’

Dr Abeywardena said that that the calf would have roamed near Hambantota harbour for over a week after being wounded. The animal’s mouth and the side of it’s head was infested with maggots.

“Antibiotics are given twice a day, while saline, energy boosting medicine and vitamins are given regularly,’’ he said.

Incidents of elephants being killed by using hakka patas, shooting them or poisoning them are on the rise.

Within the last five years, from 2012 to 2016 around 1,171 elephants have died out of which only 104 had died due to natural causes, according to the Wildlife Department.

The survey on the elephant population done in 2011 revealed that the number of elephants in the country around 5,800.

Statistics show that during last year alone 279 elephants were found dead and only 35 of them had died due to natural causes.

Dr Tharaka Prasad, director of wildlife health at the Wildlife Department as well as the chief veterinary surgeon, said more deaths take place because of gun shot wounds.

He said that a tusker and another elephant suffering from gunshot injuries are struggling for their lives in Kala Wewa, Anuradhapura and in Minneriya respectively.

“Elephants which are shot can only be identified when the animal shows signs of weakness or seen limping towards a pool of water. Its too late then as it is badly infected by that time,’’ he said.

Dr Prasad noted instances of elephants wounded by trap guns set up by farmers and surviving for years after the wounds heal, but the corrosion of the iron balls embedded in their flesh, kills them eventually.

He explained that some farmers kill elephants by using toxic pesticide in vegetables. Electric fences can also kill elephants in minutes or within days.

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Sri Lanka seeks World Bank assistance for elephant conservation

Sri Lanka has sought assistance from the World Bank for the conservation of its wild elephant population, an official said here on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka boasts 6,000 wild elephants. It is a major tourist attraction in the island nation.
Director General of the Wildlife Conservation Department W.S.K. Pathiratne told Xinhua that another countrywide census would be conducted at the end of the year to estimate the total number of jumbos in the wild. The last was conducted in 2011.

"We found 5789 elephants in the wild. It is a high number. It might have increased by now," he said.
Wild elephants are scattered throughout the country. But they are found mostly in the dry zone forests.

"With the increase of the number, the country also faces the increased incidence of human-elephant conflict. We have worked out a plan for the conservation of elephants while protecting human habitats as well," he said.

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A Sri Lankan Mission To Save Endangered Elephants

Deforestation, poaching and civil war have had a devastating impact on Sri Lanka’s elephant population. One orphanage for elephants is working to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.

SABARAGAMUWA — As the sun rises over the lush mountains in the Sri Lankan province of Sabaragamuwa, a team of veterinarians prepare very large bottles of milk. The babies, Pandula and Migara, are orphans and they are definitely hungry. Once presented their breakfast, they impatiently consume it.

The babies are two calves at the Pinnawala Elephants Orphanage.

Chandrika Priyadhashani, the research and education assistant at the orphanage, says, "They come from the wild, so we have to look after them during their lifetime. And their ages are below five."

Pandula and Migara were rescued from the Ritigala forest several years ago.

Over recent decades, massive development has seen elephant habitats in Sri Lanka shrink. Thousands of acres of thick forest have been cut down to make way for residential areas and agricultural land.

"So many wildlife animals lives were damaged, especially the elephants. They need big forests," Priyadhashani says. "So many of our elephants’ babies were orphaned."

As their habitat has been drastically reduced, elephants now wander into farms in search of food. Hundreds have been killed by people in surrounding communities because they are seen as a nuisance even though they are endangered.

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Ailing elephant gives birth to male calf in Tamil Nadu

NK Tamil Nadu, Chennai , Oct. 25 : An ailing 45-year-old female elephant gave birth to a male calf in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore city on Monday.

Forest officials and veterinarians were catering to the animal ever since she was spotted by villagers lying on a ground near a temple last Tuesday.

The animal's condition was not very encouraging as she kept lying on her side. In their bid to revive her, the doctors gave her vitamins and food to which it responded positively.

Later, she was shifted to the Chadivayal elephant camp for proper treatment.

Veterinarian Manoharan said the pachyderm had a normal delivery.

"Today morning around 4:30 a m, she delivered a male baby in lying posture, normal delivery. So probably, the strength, vitamins, minerals, all the support which we gave, gave her the strength to deliver a normal baby. So, now the mother is taking care," said Manoharan.

Manoharan added that they were checking on her health and giving her treatment.

It is believed that the elephant may have strayed from her herd.

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Increase in elephant population in Mahaweli areas

By Kelum Bandara, Daily Mirror
September 20, 2008

Despite the worsening of human-elephant conflict which has claimed the lives of both species, the elephant population has drastically increased from 673 in 1993 to 2423 this year in the Mahaweli areas of the country.

Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka made this observation yesterday while referring to a report of the census conducted covering the Mahaweli areas of Trincomalee, Polonnaruwa, Matale, Badulla and Ampara.

Addressing a ceremony held to mark the launch of the book ‘Wana Ali Samaga Dasa Wasarak’ (Ten-years in the company of wild elephants) by Veterinary Surgeon specialized in wild life Vijitha Perera.

Among the pachyderms encountered in this census, is a white elephant spotted in Ulhitiya, which the Minister cited as a sign of prosperity. Earlier, such an animal had been detected in the Yala National Park.

The highest number of 1552 elephants has been countered in Maduruoya. In Trincomalee, 219 elephants have been spotted, 211 in Kavudulla and 197 in Minneriya.

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Nearly 120 jumbo deaths every year

S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen Kandy, Daily News
September 1, 2008

In Sri Lanka nearly 120 elephants are killed by humans and in return about 65 people die after being attacked by elephants every year.
The number of cases of elephants being killed or run over by trains could be reduced if the train staff take precautions by giving the elephants enough warning in advance when they spot the elephants close to the rail tracks, Managing Trustee of the Bio Diversity and Elephant Conservation Trust and leading expert on Asian elephants and former planter Jayantha Jayawardena said.
He was addressing the members of the Rotary Club of Kandy presided over by Rotarian Ayesha Wijeratne at the Queens Hotel, Kandy.

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Call to protect elephants

S. M. Jiffrey ABDEEN, Sunday Observer
August 24, 2008

Elephants live in herds are led by the oldest female elephant in the herd. The male elephant is driven away from the herd to prevent breeding. These are the strange ways of elephants said the Managing Trustee of Bio Diversity and Elephant Conservation Trust and leading expert on Asian elephants and former planter Jayantha Jayawardena.

He was addressing members of the Rotary Club of Kandy presided over by Rotarian Ayesha Wijeratne at the Queens Hotel, Kandy.

Jayawardena said that the elephants in Sri Lanka are highly threatened in spite of what anyone may say to the contrary. Explaining the reasons for the Human - Elephant conflict that have developed in the country and the efforts that are being made to mitigate these conflicts, he said that clearing forests to settle human beings is one of the main reasons.

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No reasons to fear that elephant population is diminishing

A new transition from human-elephant conflict to human-elephant coexistence

Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Champika Ranawaka, Daily Mirror

March 5. 2008

News reports from Pretoria South Africa revealed that the South African Government was reversing the 1995 ban on killing elephants to help control their booming population. Environment Minister Marthinus Van Schalkwyk told reporters ‘Our simple reality is that elephant population density has risen so much in some southern African countries that there is concern about impacts on the landscape. The viability of other species and livelihoods safety of people living within elephant ranges.” It is also reported that South African elephant population has ballooned to more than 20,000 from 8,000 in 1995, when international pressure led to a ban on killing them.

It is evident that most parts of the African continent from time to time has used ‘culling’ as a mitigatory measure to control growing elephant population and thereby human elephant conflict. Hunting, sale of ivory and other elephant parts has been a lucrative business in Africa.

In Asian countries (Burma., Thailand, India etc.) capturing and domestication are used as instruments to control the elephant population.

In 1952, the then Director of the Department of Wildlife of Sri Lanka Mr. C.W. Nicholas issued 186 permits to kill wild elephants who were roaming in villages. It should be noted that those days Sri Lanka had a forest cover over 45% of the land mass and elephant population was reduced greatly due to mass killing by British colonials.

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Sri Lanka elephant population grew within last 50 years

ColomboPage News Desk

September 18, 2007

Sept 18, Colombo: The Colombo University Senior Professor on Ecology Sarath Kotagama says that through the estimates in the past 100 years and the records on man – elephant conflicts, he can prove that the country’s elephant population grew despite the popular belief of decline.

He points out that the elephant population was less than 1,000 according to 1953 estimations. The 1973 estimates accounted the elephant population between 1600 – 2200. According to an estimate conducted by Dr. Nandana Athapattu and Mangala Silva in 1993, the elephant population was between 3,000 and 4,000.

According to current figures, 1,500 elephants live in Northwestern wildlife zone. There are 300 elephants in Udawalawe and 400 in Minneriya. In addition, 350 elephants were chased to Lunugamwehera in Walawe wild elephant management operation.

Scientists point out that there are around 1500 more elephants in other areas.

The majority of the elephants live in wetlands, discarded cultivation lands and small jungles where their natural food, short shrubs are found in abandon.

Around 50% of the elephants are believed to live outside the national parks.

Forty wild elephants killed in Trincomalee district in 2007

ColomboPage News Desk

September 12, 2007

Sept 12, Colombo: The Wildlife Department office of the Trincomalee district of the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka announced that 40 wild elephants were killed so far in this year in Trincomalee district alone.

Meanwhile, in the adjacent Sigiriya area Wildlife officers and villagers were working round the clock to rescue two wild elephants that had fallen into a cultivation well near Indugaswewa on Monday night.

Sri Lanka’s elephant population numbering around 3000 is facing rapid extinction due to manmade disasters. The Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Champika Ranwaka recently said that the Ministry needs Rs. 10 billion per year for the management of wild elephants in the country. However, the Ministry receives only Rs. 3 billion for all its work, the Minister says.

Population boom, cause for human-elephant conflict

Vindya Amaranayake
The Nation
December 31, 2006
At least 1834 elephants perished and 742 humans killed due to human-elephant conflict during the last 15 years. Prof. Sarath Kotagama of Colombo University, presenting the data said, “The highest number of human deaths numbering 81, was reported in 1999.” He added that among the elephant deaths, 1192 were males and of the overall deaths 70 percent was due to gunshot wounds. Close to 152 babies were orphaned due to these deaths. “The main cause for the human elephant conflict can be identified due to the loss of elephant home range. With the increase in human population, elephant habitats gradually shrunk,” Kotagama said. Planned and mostly unplanned development resulting in encroachment into elephant habitats due to massive increase in human population is one of the main reasons for the loss of elephant home range.

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