CEJ urges Defence Ministry to halt issuing guns to kill elephants

Mawella K Prematilleke Wednesday, 30 July 2025 09:08 PM

72% of foreign tourists visiting Sri Lanka for elephants, and bringing over $5bio or Rs.1,500 mio as income generated 38% of total national income. We need the eyes of the world on this before it is too late. The poachers have massacred over 2,753 tuskers and elephants in the last 5 years. The state has sponsored 14,000 shot guns to the encroachers to grab, the entire wild territory belongs to the elephants, roaming for generations in their dedicated landscape. Eventually Humans barricades elephants by electrical fencing, actually it should be the other way. Tourism will be busted, if no action is taken to resist elephant killings, as we have remaining 12 tuskers for the entire Sri Lanka.

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ANIMAL LOVER AND ACTIVIST Wednesday, 30 July 2025 10:20 PM

PEOPLE HAVE BUILT HOMES AND OR HUTS AND FARMING ON CROWN LAND INCLUDING LAND WITH GOVT INFRASTRUCTURE. THE GOVT HAS TO START RECLAIMING THESE LANDS AND SEVERE WARNING TO ALL ILLEGAL SETTLERS/SQUATTERS THAT ANYONE ENCROACHING ON LAND THAT DOES NOT BELONG TO THEM LEGALLY WILL BE PROSECUTED. ELEPHANTS MUST BE ABLE TO ROAM AND AND LIVE IN THE WILD, AS THEY HAVE DONE SO FOR DECADES AND DECADES.

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Rana Thursday, 31 July 2025 04:06 AM

Please eradicate elephant menace by any means. it is causing grievous loss of life, mostly the sole bread winner of a poor family, and enormous destruction of crops. Tourist dont need elephants every corner of the country. the population should be brought down to a level sustainable to the country's forests and issuing guns is a very effective way to protect farmers and families

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Man Thursday, 31 July 2025 05:49 AM

No legal action against and to recover the already issued firearms? Illegal encroachments and power lines, fire arms, explosives for hakka-patas, etc. must be taken over from those areas by having frequent raids and indict and charge those involved people. Shortage of resources is an issue of the wildlife department. People who are against taking elephants in processions when over 400 elephants are killed annually, not seen, at Bathiya's attendance, with any due care.

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M Fernando Thursday, 31 July 2025 08:31 AM

Tourists bring in dollars.. elephants do not. No need of elephants We need more tourists, not more elephants

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Sokrates Thursday, 31 July 2025 09:18 AM

The task of controlling and monitoring wild elephants lies with the forest rangers and not with uneducated farmers, who have mostly illegally occupied the elephants' habitat. These farmers only think about their wallets and not about one of our greatest cultural assets, the majestic creatures that Sri Lanka has been blessed with.

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