Signboards featuring elephant photographs installed to alert train drivers

Signboards featuring photographs of elephants have been installed along key railway tracks in Sri Lanka to alert train drivers and prevent elephant-train collisions.   

The initiative, designed by the Elephant Rescue Foundation, involves a total of 147 signboards handed over yesterday to the Department of Railways.   

The move follows recommendations from a special parliamentary committee led by Environment Minister Dr. Dammika Patabendi and Minister of Civil Aviation and Highways Bimal Rathnayake, aimed at implementing practical solutions to safeguard wildlife.   

During the handover ceremony, officials including Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody and Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation and Highways Dr. Prasanna Gunasena participated, alongside representatives from the Department of Railways.   

The signboards will be installed in areas where elephants frequently cross railway tracks, based on scientific research conducted by the Environmental and Wildlife Studies Centre. Initial installations are planned along the Gal Oya – Trincomalee, Gal Oya – Madakalapuwa, Northern Railway, and Mannar Railway lines.   

Sri Lankan environmentalists and wildlife organizations have long advocated for measures to reduce elephant-train accidents, and the deployment of these visual warning signboards is being implemented as a practical step to protect both elephants and railway operations.