Faulty electric fence fails to stop wild elephants

Farmers in Naula Divisional Secretary’s Division in Matale District complained that wild elephants
were encroaching into their villages due to an electric fence that had been installed not
working properly.

Farmers of Moragolla, Ambana Senagama and Opalwala areas said that their cultivations have
been destroyed by the wild elephants that roam about in these areas.

They explained that the fence is operated by a battery which had been stolen by thieves, resulting
in the fence being without electricity and thereby making it useless for stopping wild
elephants from entering their villages.

Ranjith K. Vijitha of the Department of Wild Life in Elahera said that they were taking remedial
measures to rectify the situation.

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A lazy elephant trapped in a farm well saved by Humans. (Ignores all help before)

This situation occurred in a rural region near farmlands away from the capital and urban cities of Sri Lanka. The situation is a problematic one mainly because of this elephant being trapped inside a deep well. This elephant is also a sluggish one with no intention of climbing out or with any attempt.
Citizens discovered this elephant and made the right call to inform the wildlife department about the situation. Officers rushed to the scene with logistics support required to get this elephant out. As soon as they arrived, they even spotted this elephant just standing still even without raising its trunk.

Officers got a path dug out of the mudded pit that was a well before and now they have to use a rope to guide this elephant out. The slow one sure loves to take time and finally decided to make a move.

Some had to tease the elephant with food to get this elephant to move, and it finally worked. Watch the full footage on this rescue operation and let us know about your thoughts.

Sri Lanka and Elephants.

In the beautiful island of Sri Lanka, Elephants roam the streets and through village areas freely in many regions of the country. The small island nation is full of elephants that are loved by most of the inhabitants of the island. Most educated in the country are continually fighting corruption and animal abuse especially towards the treasures that elephants are to the state as Sri Lankan elephants are known as the largest and the strongest among Asian elephants.

However, around farming villages where elephants raid crops, many conflicts are happening that have caused casualties to both sides. They have set a lot of fences and electric fences with barriers around many villages and farmlands around national parks and many massive forest reserves. These elephants often run into traps and wells placed along farms for water supply.

We humbly invite you to join us with a journey full of love and help to our treasured wild elephants in the paradise island of Sri Lanka.

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2 elephants die in another Lanka train collision

COLOMBO: Two elephants were killed and another critically injured Sunday crossing railway tracks in Sri Lanka, officials said, in yet another tragic collision involving the protected animals and speeding trains, reports AFP.

A Jaffna-bound night train rammed into two elephants at Ambanpola, 150 kilometres (93 miles) north of Colombo, killing one and injuring the other. In a separate accident, a passenger train derailed after hitting and killing an elephant near Palugaswewa, 160 kilometres (100 miles) north-east of Colombo.

No passengers were injured in either accident.

“Train services have been disrupted, but we are working to remove the carcass and repair the track on the eastern line,” an official said by telephone.

Speed restrictions are imposed on trains passing through elephant habitats but these are difficult to enforce. Only 10 percent of Sri Lanka’s trains are believed to be equipped with speedometers, local media reported Sunday.

Two weeks ago, a passenger train struck and killed three elephants. A fortnight before that, a mother elephant and her two calves were hit and killed in the east of the country.

Sri Lanka considers elephants a national treasure and they are protected by law. But conflicts between humans and elephants near wildlife sanctuaries remains a problem.

Official figures show 1,200 elephants have been killed by humans in the past five years, with 375 people trampled to death by the beasts.

The government announced in August it would erect 2,651 kilometres (1,556 miles) of electric fencing to keep elephants out of villages bordering wildlife reserves.

It is estimated there are 7,500 wild elephants in Sri Lanka.

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Conspiracy to confine the two Sinharaja elephants

Due to the failed attempts to move the two wild elephants from the Sinharaja forest, the Wildlife Ministry is now making plans to confine the two elephants to an enclosed area within the same forest through Cabinet paper 18/1455/844/001, according to the Environment and nature protection centre.

Despite all environmental factors being available within the Sinharaja forest system, they are attempting to build the elephant detention centre in an area of 36 hectares, the centre said.

This is being built in the Parugala area in the Dispin Estate on land belonging to the State Plantations Corporation which is currently leased to the Hapugastenna Estate Company.

The residents and environmentalists warn that this environment is not suitable for these two elephants as it contains deep holes which are dangerous for them.

They pointed out that animals were also being hunted within this reserve and the latest killing of an elk is ample proof.

However, in 1940 there were around 18 wild elephants in the Sinharaja Forest and today only two remain. Since 1998 the forest has been gradually cleared and humans have been encroaching on forest lands paving the way for human animal conflicts. As a result of these confrontations, so far 15 persons have been killed by wild elephants.

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Don't drive our jumbos to death

Humans and wild elephants have lived ‘together’ for aeons in Sri Lanka. In fact, the country
has bestowed upon elephants, domesticated ones of course, an honour not given to any
other creature – that of carrying the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha around the streets
of Kandy to be venerated by large crowds.

As a country we are also unique – drawing in precious dollars as tourists converge here to
see the largest land animal, the elephant in the wild and a little distance away the largest
marine animal – the blue whale in the seas surrounding the country.

Where on earth, except in Sri Lanka, can one see a majestic elephant peacefully feeding in
the jungles sandwiching the Dambulla-Habarana Road sending ripples of excitement
among motorists and passers-by or as many as 300, mostly cow elephants and their babies,
picking at the tasty morsels of tender grass which carpet the Minneriya and Kaudulla
tankbeds, as “oohs” and “aahs” emanate from both locals and foreigners at such a “spectacular
sight?

Over the years though, with unplanned expansion of human habitats and development
into the homes of these animals, there has been conflict between human and elephant.
How, as a nation, should Sri Lanka go about mitigating the Human Elephant Conflict
(HEC)?

The answer is simple and obvious – go by evidence-based knowledge gathered over the
years and learn through bitter lessons from previous actions which have had disastrous
consequences.

So the humble plea from all those lovers not only of wild elephants but all animals is:

“Let’s not repeat the tragic mistakes made earlier. Let’s not go back to square one, as we

Don't drive our jumbos to death have enough evidence to move forward where both humans and wild elephants can live together, with a little adjustment.”

And such a plea is for selfish reasons as well – because we need to keep the ecosystem balance
for the very survival of humans!

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Times on ‘HEC Management – Will we ever
learn from our past mistakes?’ the former Director-General (DG) of the Department of
Wildlife Conservation (DWC), Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya stressed that studies in Sri Lanka have
shown that ‘translocation’
‘drives’ and ‘concenement’ are not a viable management strategy
and will jeopardize the survival of Sri Lanka’s elephants, both within and outside the
Protected Areas (PAs).
“There will be no benent towards reducing the HEC,
” Dr. Pilapitiya was emphatic, just a
few days before he was scheduled to give a public lecture. Govt. should implement cabinetapproved
policy, former DWC DG, tells

Elephant habitats are declining and the frequency and severity of the HEC are increasing,
calling for alternative approaches to HEC management, he said.
Continuing to attempt to restrict elephants to PAs of the DWC will not reduce the HEC because
it requires reducing their current habitat to about 30 percent of what they use at
present. This cannot be done without killing over 4,000 elephants, it is learnt.
Dr. Pilapitiya is crystal clear in his explanation: “Most National Parks (which are part of
the PAs) are already at or even beyond carrying capacity and hold the maximum number of
elephants they can support. Additionally, National Parks are generally primary or mature
forests providing only sub-optimal habitats for edge species, such as elephants. Elephant
density in primary/secondary forests is 0.2 elephants per square kilometre, while savannah
grasslands and scrub jungle can retain around 3 elephants per square kilometre. Since
the DWC’s PAs have minimal human intervention, biological succession results in the conversion
of degraded lands within PAs into secondary forests. Therefore, the DWC’s PAs are
unable to carry a high density of elephants.”

The situation in Uda Walawe National Park is a case in point, he says citing an example.
Minneriya, Kaudulla and Maduru Oya are National Parks that are exceptions due to their
habitat being largely grasslands.

The primary reason for elephants to gather in such large numbers on the Minneriya
and Kaudulla tank-beds is for the fodder they get from the grasslands, which are nourished
by nutrient-rich sediments deposited there during the period of inundation. With the
water from the reservoirs being released for agriculture, a growth of new and succulent
grass emerges on the exposed tank-beds. This is why there are 300-400 elephants during
‘The Gathering’ in August and September, Dr. Pilapitiya points out. However, such parks
also already carry the number of elphants they can support.

According to him, since the 1950s the strategy for HEC Management in Sri Lanka has been
three-fold:
Capture and translocate problem ele
phants;
Conduct large-scale elephant drives in an attempt to move all elephants from the areas
earmarked for development into PAs; and
Concene the elephants within the PAs with barriers.

Had this strategy been successful, the HEC should have been solved or be on the decline.
But the data indicate the opposite. Despite implementing this strategy for more than 50
years, a survey conducted by the Centre for Conservation and Research (CCR) has shown
that there are elephants in 44% of the country that is outside PAs, says Dr. Pilapitiya, explaining
that basically, these elephants are co-existing with humans, albeit with some
level of conflict.
“While it may appear that humans and elephants can be separated, with elephants being
concerned to PAs, after more than 50 years of trying, if we realize that it cannot be done,
there seems to be merit in re-evaluating and revising that strategy. The main reasons elephants
cannot be limited to PAs are due to the PAs being at their carrying capacities. Elephants
are also an ‘edge species’ and there is better elephant habitat outside. So it is not
surprising that over two thirds of ele- phants live outside the areas controlled by the DWC.

Dr. Pilapitiya is quick to point out that research has shown that elephant drives, conducted
mainly in response to political and social pressures have failed to eliminate crop raiding
elephants from the drive areas. While herds composed of females and young tend to be
driven, the crop raiding males often remain behind.
Communities have confermed that elephants remaining after drives become more aggressive
and develop into a bigger threat to people. Construction of electric fences along the
administrative boundaries of the DWC PAs has failed to yield the expected outcome of HEC
mitigation, since DWC PAs are often surrounded by elephant habitat. Therefore, this results
in elephants being on both sides of the fence and fence breaking by elephants, it is
understood.

Realizing this, the DWC led a multistakeholder process to develop a National Elephant
Conservation Policy, says Dr. Pilapitiya, adding that it was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers
in 2006. The policy states that “when elephants lose their range, they die”.
It further adds: “The prospects for long-term survival for the elephant in Sri Lanka are
good. There is already a well-established PA network, which supports a proportion of the
elephant population. However, a significant proportion of the elephant population ranges
outside of the PAs. Ensuring the future survival of elephants that range inside and outside
PAs is both central and crucial to the conservation of elephants.”
Dr. Pilapitiya stresses that if Sri Lanka is serious about the conservation of elephants in the
wild, we should learn from our mistakes and past experiences and implement the provisions
of the Cabinetapproved policy and not try to limit elephants to the DWC PAs.

The former DWC DG Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya will deliver a Lecture on ‘Human Elephant Con-
flict Management – Will we ever learn from our past mistakes?’ on October 18 (Thursday)
at 6 p.m. at the Jasmine Hall, BMICH, Colombo 7.

Organized by the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS), the lecture is open to
members and non-members and entry is free of charge.
Prior to the lecture next week, when asked by the Sunday Times as a former DWC DG, what
he thinks of the DWC need to procure 2,567 AK 47 assault rites, Dr. Pilapitiya said: “I feel
that DWC officers need weapons more sophisticated than the repeater shot guns they have
at present, for anti-poaching operations because currently some poachers are better
armed than DWC officers. The DWC has lost officers in battles with poachers. However, I
am no weapons expert. So, I am not sure whether the most suitable weapon is an AK 47.”

To the query that the Cabinet Paper of July 18, 2018 is not on anti-poaching, but requests
that these weapons be procured for HEC management and what his views are, he said that
the HEC has two participants -- humans and elephants. As officers of the DWC whose
mandate is to conserve wildlife, no officer should be shooting an elephant.
“This means that the weapon could be to deal with the other stakeholder, who is a human.
DWC officers cannot shoot people either, so I am at a loss to understand why such a sophisticated
weapon is needed. For personal protection, DWC officers may need a weapon
but in my opinion, it should not be a weapon that could kill an elephant instantly,
” added

Dr. Pilapitiya who is an Environmental Scientist.

Dr. Pilapitiya briefy held the post of DWC DG before resigning on “matters of principle”.

He is researching elephant social behaviour in the Yala, Minneriya and Kaudulla National
Parks and their surrounding landscapes.

Echoing serious concerns about suggestions to restrict all wild elephants to PAs, the Head
of the Centre for Conservation and Research (CCR), Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando said that such
was the thinking about 50 years ago, which led to an increase in the HEC and “killed lots of
elephants”.

Modern research has shown the way and that’s why the National Elephant Conservation
Policy was developed in 2006, says Dr. Fernando, painting grim images of the results of
‘limiting’ wild elephants to PAs.
“The elephants driven and restricted to PAs, which would mostly be non-problem causing
cow elephants and their babies, as well as elephants that were in the PAs, starve to death
due to exceeding of the carrying capacity,
” he said with emotion, pointing out that the elephants
which are left behind in human habitation areas after drives, become very aggressive
because they were very fearful of humans after being severely harassed by humans in
their bid to relocate them. Hence, the HEC increases in drive areas.
Going back to attempts to restrict elephants to PAs will severely escalate the HEC and kill
lots of females and young ones, reasons Dr. Fernando, appealing to the authorities not to
revisit such disastrous attempts. “It will also nullify all the forward steps taken in mitigating
the HEC and send Sri Lanka down a very slippery slope, having a severe adverse impact
on elephant conservation.”

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Death toll of wild elephants trapped in bog reaches 9

The number of wild elephants who had died after getting bogged down in a marshy land in the Thummodara section of the Periyaaru River had increased to nine by yesterday. Asst. Director of Wildlife Conservation, Polonnaruwa Zone, W.m.d.j.wickremesinghe said.

He said the carcass of an elephant calf was found when clearing the rank swampland that created a death-trap for wild elephants that roam the jungle in search of fodder. He said the calf was about two years of age and that it would have been part of the herd, the carcasses of which had been found earlier.

He said when the carcasses of the seven elephants were discovered earlier, Minister of Wildlife and Sustainable Development Sarath Fonseka and Deputy Minister

Palitha Thewarapperuma visited the scene and instructed the officials to remove the rank vegetation that camouflaged the swamp that looked like bare land covered with plants. The official said the wild elephants had stepped into the marshy land which looked deceptively like a bare land that was covered with plants.

The Wildlife Zonal Director further said clearing the rank vegetation was a temporary measure and pointed out that the authorities need to prevent the recurrence of a similar incident in the future.

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Death toll from human, elephant conflicts in Sri Lanka hits record high

COLOMBO, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from Sri Lanka's human-elephant conflict has hit a record high with over 375 people killed by wild elephants and over 1,100 elephants killed by humans within the last five years, cabinet spokesperson Gayantha Karunathilleke said on Thursday.

In a local media report, Karunathilleke said in order to find a solution to the bitter battle, the government had decided to extend electric fences near national parks and vulnerable villages as part of a new drive to protect people and wild elephants.

The minister added that the government would also increase the length of electric fences by over 50 percent and also upgrade the existing protective fencing to ensure that marauding elephants did not raid villages for food and water.

He explained that these fences would repel elephants and prevent them from entering villages and would not seriously harm them.

The announcement came two days after President Maithripala Sirisena called for urgent action, saying elephants were straying into human habitat and were also destroying crops in addition to inflicting a heavy toll on humans.

Sirisena said wildlife, including elephants, destroyed about 35 percent of the country's agricultural produce.

Elephants in Sri Lanka are protected by law. Killing wild elephants is an offence punishable by death, but there have been regular reports of angry villagers poisoning or shooting them.

Official records show the population of wild elephants in Sri Lanka is estimated at 7,500. Enditem

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Wildlife circuit bungalows to be closed for elephant survey

The Wildlife Conservation Department today said all circuit bungalows of the department would be closed for three-days in September for tourists due to a survey of wild elephants.

It said the country-wide survey would be carried out on September 23,24 and 25.

The department informed that it would not be reserving any circuit bungalow for the tourists on the three days.(TK)

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Sinharaja elephants to be transferred to protection center

A project to establish a protection center to translocate the two rare elephants in the Sinharaja forest Reserve is in progress.

The Minister of Sustainable Development, Wildlife and Regional Development Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka has proposed the exaction of sixty-two hectares of land from the Parugala area in Dolekanda Grama Niladhari division of Kalawana, which consists of adaptable environmental conditions for the two elephants.

The proposal has also received the Cabinet approval.

The attention of the government has been drawn to the recent damages to lives and properties in vicinity of Sinharaja Forest Reserve, and the protection of the two wild elephants.

Meanwhile the proposal to establish a protection centre for the two rare elephants in the Sinharaja forest reserve has received massive backlash from environmentalists.

The environmental organizations oppose the confinement of the two elephants, roaming in the Sinharaja forest reserve that spreads over 11,189 hectares, to an area of 50 acres with an electric fence.

They point out that the authorities should heed to implement more practical solutions to the human-elephant conflict.

Last month, the President instructed the Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and the Director General of the Department of Wildlife Conservation to keep the two rare elephants in the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, a World Heritage site, until a decision is taken after formulating a proper procedure.

He instructed that further steps should be taken after consulting a group of experts in the regard and following a scientific study by those experts, if there is any need to relocate these elephants.

Authorities had planned to translocate the two elephants to the Horowpathana elephant protection centre, however environmental conservationists had vehemently opposed the  move.

The ‘Protect Sri Lanka’ national movement had claimed that UNESCO has notified Sri Lanka’s Department of Wildlife Conservation that the Sinharaja Forest Reserve will be at risk of losing its status as a World Heritage Site if the two wild elephants roaming the reserve are translocated.

It also charged that if the government follows through with that decision, the public will have to suffer the dangerous consequences.

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Wild life officers corner wild elephants

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Wildlife Officers have successfully cornered around 40 wild elephants in an operation launched in the Katuwewa area in Hambantota.

An operation to chase away the wild elephants terrorizing the Hambantota and Sooriyawewa areas over a period of time was launched on the 09th. Personnel from six Wildlife Offices including the Assistant Director of Wildlife for the Southern Province Prasanna Wimaladasa were involved in this operation.

Deputy Minister of Sustainable Development, Wildlife and Regional Development Palitha Thewarapperuma was also seen getting involved in the operation.

During the past three days, wildlife officers were successful in moving five wild elephants in the Madunagala area to the Wild Elephant Management Reserve in Hambantota. The operation to drive away the elephants in the Katuwewa area commenced last afternoon (July 13).

It was reported that the operation was supported by the local police and the area residents as well.  Wildlife Officers said these wild elephants will be driven to the Wild Elephant Management Reserve this evening (July 13).

Meanwhile, another herd of around 40 wild elephants roaming in search of water and food reached the Mahakanadarawa Reservoir in Mihintala last evening (July 12).


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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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President instructs to keep two rare elephants in Sinharaja Forest Reserve at the same place until a decision is taken after formulating a proper procedure

President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed the Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and the Director General of the Department of Wildlife Conservation to keep the two rare elephants in the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, a World Heritage site until a decision is taken after formulating a proper procedure.

The President further instructed the Secretary for the Ministry of Environment Mr. Anura Dissanayake and the Director General of the Department of Wildlife Conservation Mr. Anura Saturusinghe if there is any need to relocate these elephants, further steps should be taken after consulting a group of experts in the regard and following a scientific study by those experts.

President Sirisena has given these instructions during a meeting held with the officials of the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment, yesterday (14).

President Maithripala Sirisena further instructed the officials to take steps to conserve the animals within the lands that belong to them in order to protect the wild elephants.

The President also showed the importance of the responsibility behind protecting the Sinharaja forest which has a bio diversity valued by the entire world.

In order to prevent the harm caused by these two elephants to the people residing in the area, President Sirisena advised to complete the construction of a protective elephant fence as early as possible.

Mr.Ajith Mannapperuma who was newly appointed as the Deputy Minister of Environment started his duties in his position and President Maithripala Sirisena also joined this event.

Then the President also held this discussion with the officials of the ministries.
Deputy Minister Ajith P.Perera and other officials were also present in this discussion.


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Thai villager killed by wild elephants

Wild elephants have killed a man in western Thailand as he and other villagers tried to keep the animals away from their crops.


A 54-year-old Thai man has been killed by a herd of wild elephants in the western province of Kanchanburi, in the second dangerous encounter between humans and elephants this month, local media reports say.

The attack involved 10 female elephants and their calves, and occurred late on Sunday as the man and others in his village were trying to keep the animals away from their crops, the Bangkok Post said.

The victim, Thamsin Ratananupappot, was reportedly part of a group of villagers that had been using slingshots to keep the 30-strong herd of elephants out of their village.

The villagers had been patrolling the land, trying to keep elephants from entering, every night for the past month, the Post said.

On May 16, a wild elephant attacked a 73-year-old man in Kanchanaburi province, breaking his ribs and back, but the man survived.


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Electric fence not an obstruction to the Elephants

Farmers say that the electrical fence which has been built for the protection of the farming community and farming villages of Matale District have been broken by elephants.

Farmers said that this situation has arisen due to the electrical fence built by the government to manage the elephants coming to villages in search of food from Vasgamuwa and Minneriya National parks. Due to construction of the Moragahakanda reservoir, traditional elephant paths have changed. An electrical fence has been built by spending millions of rupees to control the elephants living in the park and preventing them going out of the Vasgamuwa National Park as six villages went under water in the Naula Divisional Secretary’s Division.

The batteries used for the electrical fence have been robbed several times. Due to this situation, disconnecting of the electrical fence, the elephants are coming to villages, the farmers said. In the meantime, Wildlife Officer Ranjith K. Vijitha in Elahera said, the people who travel in this area should pay special attention as the herd of elephants of more than 100 are roaming the Moragahakanda area.

Ambana Farmers Association said recently that their cultivations have been destroyed due to the wild elephants coming to their villages. When we inquired from the wildlife office, Mr. Ranjith said that they are continuing their operation to chase away the elephants.

In addition to this, he said that they are distributing elephant crackers among the villagers and launching awareness programes for the villagers.


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Captain arrested over electrocution of tusker (Pics)

The carcass of a tusker which had died due to being electrocuted by an electrified fence of a farm in Puthukudiiruppu, Mulaithivu run by the military, was found yesterday, according to the Puthukudiiruppu Police.

The police said that the carcass of the animal was found with the assistance of the Wildlife officers.

According to police, initial investigations had revealed that the fence surrounding the army run farm had been electrified to prevent wild animals entering it.

Hence, on the charge of erecting an unprotected power line to the farm fence a Captain attached to the 683 brigade was arrested.

Police said that the arrested Captain was scheduled to be produced before the Mulaithivu Magistrate’s Court.

According to the Wildlife Department Northern Region Veterinarian B. Giridharan, the tusker that had been killed due to electrification is believed to be around 30 years.

Last year, around 18 such wild elephants and tuskers were killed in the Northern province, he said, adding that due to human activity the wild elephant population in the Northern province is fast declining.


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Sri Lanka elephants face plastic danger foraging dumps for food

Hundreds of Sri Lanka’s wild elephants now scavage at rubbish dumps, risking their health due to plastic scraps mixed with rotting food

At a garbage dump in central Sri Lanka a herd of wild elephants forage among a mountain of rubbish, swallowing dangerous scraps of plastic mixed with rotting food in what experts warn is an increasing problem for the revered animals.

Due to illegal dumping near wildlife sanctuaries, hundreds of Sri Lanka’s estimated 7,500 wild elephants now scavenge at rubbish tips and many are being made sick by what they eat, Jayantha Jayewardene, an expert on Asian elephants, said.

“Sri Lanka considers elephants to be a national treasure, but we see these animals reduced to eating rubbish,” Jayewardene told AFP Thursday.

“They have become docile and got so used to tractors bringing them garbage.”

Some wild elephants have become accustomed to scavanging in rubbish dumps instead of foraging in the jungle

A herd of 20 wild elephants at Habarana in the east of Sri Lanka has become totally dependent on rubbish and behaved almost like domestic animals waiting for tractors to tip the garbage.

“These elephants no longer forage in the jungle. They are like zoo animals. It is a sad sight to see national treasures picking through rotting rubbish,” he said.

The animals can be seen covered in smelly garbage and rooting among piles of plastic bottles, a far cry from the majestic jumbos portrayed in travel brochures.

Jayewardene said the solid waste included plastic scraps despite a government ban on non-biodegradable polythene. Hundreds of elephants elsewhere are also known to forage at dozens of rubbish tips near elephant habitats.





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Wild elephant herd chased away in Samanthurai (Photos)

A group of persons including wildlife officials came under attack in Samanthurai when they attempted to chase away a herd of elephants that encroached a village.

The herd included 6 wild elephants.

However, the wild elephants had come after the officials and 4 persons including a wildlife official were injured in the melee.

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Villagers unable to protect harvest from wild elephants

Residents of Kalagama, Galkiriyagama in the Anuradhapura District are facing severe hardships due to the inability of protecting their harvest from wild elephants.

Several wild elephants invading the village feed on the harvest stored in the houses of the residents. Residents are attacked when trying to drive away the elephants, according to villagers.

A resident was reportedly attacked last night while trying to drive away an elephant that was trying to feed on the paddy harvest stored at the house.

The 68-year-old victim is currently being treated at the Galkiriyagama Divisional Hospital.

The elephants that enter the village to feed on the harvest and completely destroy the village’s cultivations, say farmers.

Elephants entering the village are from the Kahalla Pallekele Sanctuary under Galkiriyagama wildlife division and the Kala Wewa Sanctuary that has been declared a tourist zone, as further pointed out by the villagers.

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Veggies trashed and thrown to jumbos

Gunny bags full of vegetables being thrown in corners to rot, wild elephants gorging on discarded vegetables, piles of produce discarded at economic centre garbage dumps – these have been common sights over the past weeks.

A glut in vegetable supply raised hopes of a drastic price drop in cities and towns but, unfortunately, both farmers and retail shoppers have not benefited.

The Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute (HARTI) said the wholesale prices of most varieties have dropped due to increased supplies from Jaffna to markets during the peak Maha season.

All vegetable prices at the Dambulla Economic Centre dropped, with brinjals sold for Rs, 50-60 per kilo, beans for Rs. 70-90/kg, carrots for Rs. 90/kg, cabbage for 15-25/kg, radishes for Rs. 10-15/kg and tomatoes for Rs. 20-25/kg to 25 rupees. Leeks, the only vegetable that saw an increase in price, went for Rs.140-160/kg.

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Sri Lanka police lose gun as elephants charge

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan police who were charged by elephants as they staked out a cannabis farm dropped an automatic rifle as they ran for their lives, sparking a hunt Sunday for the missing weapon.
Policemen who had been camping out near the plantation in a bid to catch crooks turned tail and scarpered after the huge creatures started hurtling after them.

"The constables dropped their weapons and fled to save their lives when the elephants charged," a statement said.

Officers were now looking for the T56 automatic assault rifle in the bush at Lunugamvehera, 225 kilometres (140 miles) south of the capital Colombo.

Sri Lanka has strict laws protecting elephants, which are considered sacred. However, about 200 jumbos are killed annually by farmers who say wild elephants stray onto their land and destroy their 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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