News
More resources provided to deal with uptick in elephant deaths, but questions remain
View(s):By Kasun Warakapitiya
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s intervention in resolving the human-elephant conflict has been commended, but experts, conservationists and environmentalists question the mechanisms being adopted.
The President on Thursday evening held a meeting with officials and the Minister of Environment Dammika Patabendi at the Presidential Secretariat. Civil Defence Force officers, police and officials of wildlife and forest departments and representatives of security forces were also present.
The carcasses found at the Inamalluwa reserve in Dambulla. Pic by Kanchana Kumara
The meeting was in response to a number of elephant deaths in recent weeks and complaints by environmentalists that the human-elephant conflict is intensifying.
President Dissanayake directed officials to undertake in-depth assessments at the village level and pointed out that solutions need to be provided with the support of both the political leadership and people.
Ven. Pagoda Janithawansa Thera addressing a news conference. Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
He also instructed the minister and officials to immediately assign 5,000 Civil Defence Force staff to make up for the shortfall in wildlife officers.
He also directed that the number of vehicles and motorbikes allocated to officers of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) be increased.
Decisions were also made to prepare plans for the proposed 800 kilometre electric fence and the restoration of 16 elephant corridors.
In the past three weeks, around 21 elephant deaths were reported.
According to DWC statistics, 238 elephant deaths have been reported this year up to Tuesday July, 22, and during the corresponding period of 2024 there were 213 deaths. In the most recent incident carcasses of three elephants including that of a tusker were found at the Inamalluwa reserve in Dambulla.
Environmentalists and conservationists appreciated the president’s intervention and interest in resolving the human-elephant conflict, but they questioned the methods being used. The conflict can’t be resolved only by political decisions. They called for science-based solutions.
Environmentalist and researcher Supun Lahiru Prakash said that decisions and actions plans remain far behind to what is required to mitigate the conflict.
Driving elephants into protected areas, translocations and fencing in animals in protected areas have failed in the past.
Mr Prakash questioned the wildlife expertise of the district based committees led by provincial politicians to carry out elephant drives. Ineffective non-scientific approaches would only aggravate issues. To reduce wildlife crime, the department should recruit more officers, he said. 
Assigning the Civil Defence Force to assist DWC is counterproductive because they will respond like it is a military issue.
Environmental activist Pahiyangala Ananda Sagara thera said elephants should be given back the land they inhabit. Human encroachment had displaced the elephants and they come into human settlements. The thera said people who live within areas frequented by elephants should be moved to safer areas and given farm lands.
He added that the agriculture ministry should give a crop solution to farmers, so they could cultivate crops that elephants do not like.
Environmental and social activist Ven Pagoda Janithawansa thera addressing a press briefing by environmental activists said he suspects that a gang of snipers are behind killing of elephants and tuskers.
He said the government should investigate and take action against those who kill elephants. The therasaid that the villagers are being encouraged by politicians to shoot any animals that enter their farmlands. Elephants are wounded by trap guns, he added, calling on the DWC to check other wildlife-related crime.
Environment Minister told the Sunday Times he has asked the Criminal Investigation Department to look into the elephant shooting incidents as he believes there is a conspiracy against the government.
He said he informed Parliament about concerns that the increasing number of elephant deaths were being used to defame the government.
He said that the president has intervened and even issued directives to provide more vehicles for the Department of Wildlife, to assign the civil defence force to assist wildlife officers as well as to open up elephant corridors.
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