Haphazard watching of elephants makes jeep safaris unsafe

Environmental organizations and animal lovers have raised their concerns regarding the haphazard watching of wild elephants from safari jeeps and other motor vehicles transporting tourists

Environmental organisations and animal lovers have expressed concern about the haphazard watching of wild elephants from safari jeeps and other motor vehicles transporting tourists. They maintain that tour guides are in the habit of halting vehicles very close to the wild elephants, frequenting the edge of the jungle by the main highway. This running highway runs through Dambulla, Habarana, Minneriya Sigiriya, and Kaudulla areas. Hence elephant watching poses its dangers to the tourists and harm to these animals too. They pointed out that the reckless halting of vehicles caused obstructions to traffic. Environmentalists request the Department of Wildlife Conservation Department (DWC) and the police to prevent this perilous act. 

At present a heavy influx of foreign tourists is experienced in Hurulu National Park under the Department of Forest Conservation (DFC) and Kaudulla and Minneriya National Parks under the DWC. Safari jeep service operators and the tour guides are in the habit of taking tourists to Digampathana and several locations in Dambulla – Trincomalee road to watch wild elephants.

When they notice wild elephants by the roadside, they halt the vehicles close to the animals regardless of the impending dangers and the disturbance caused to the wild elephants, who are feeding in their natural habitat. These movements by vehicles carrying tourists hinder the flow of the traffic. The drivers of some vehicles accused the authorities of allowing this risky undertaking by tour guides, who’d do anything to please the tourists and expect their actions to go unchecked. They said that they had informed about these activities to the police, the FCD and the DWC, but to no avail. 

Attempts made by this newspaper to take up this issue with the officials in charge of the ticketing counter at Hurulu National Park proved futile because they refused to make comments to the media. They told the correspondent of this newspaper to obtain permission from the Director General to facilitate an interview with the former. 

However, Range Forest Officer in Habarana B.A.K.C. Bamunusinghe said that a series of rules and regulations were applicable to the Safari Jeep Operators and the tourist guides, but it was not possible to check their activities due to the shortage of officials.