The Deputy Minister of Agrarian Services and Wildlife Conservation S.M. Chandrasena had instructed the Director General of Wildlife to submit a report within a week regarding any dangers posed to wild animals by the overhanging high tension electric wires fixed onto wooden pillars.

The deputy minister made this observation at a media discussion held on Sunday in Anuradhapura.

Drawing attention at this discussion the minister said it was a tragedy that elephants had died within their area of habitation as a result of faulty low hanging high tension wires and cautioned that steps should be taken to avoid a repetition of this nature.

The presently installed wooden pillars used to fix these wires which pass through thick jungle areas appear to have been neglected and the minister stated he had already discussed this matter with the Minister of Power, Patalie Champika Ranawaka who had agreed to replace these wooden pillars with concrete pillars.

The deputy minister also referred to the large number of elephants dying after crashing onto moving trains and said instructions had been given to the train drivers to be alert for elephants and other wild animals on the move and exercise speed controls and to create awareness among train drivers. He also said jungle and high grown shrubs on either side of the railway track had to be cleared early.

He further said poachers who were hunting elephants to remove tusks would be severely dealt with and further steps to minimize the confrontation of humans with the elephants would be taken early. (Athula Bandara)

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