Tragic elephant deaths mount, calls for swift action

5 December 2023 06:33 am - 11 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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Colombo, Dec.5 (Daily Mirror) - With as many as 449 wild elephants and 169 people getting killed in the human-elephant conflict by December 1, this year, the relevant authorities are still at a loss to work out a practical solution to the problem.

According to the latest statistics released by the Department of Wildlife Conservation, gunshot injuries have claimed the lives of 81 pachyderms. Besides, 60 jumbos perished due to electrocution. Hakka Patas (jaw bombs or explosive-laden baits) killed 44 elephants, train accidents 22, poisoning four, road accidents one and other forms of accidents 14. Four elephants drowned after falling into agro-wells. The wildlife authorities cannot vouch for the reason for the remainder of elephant deaths because carcasses have been decomposed by the time of discoveries.

The human-elephant conflict is not a phenomenon that occurred in recent times. It has been going on for decades, but the intensity of the problems has increased by leaps and bounds due to enhanced encounters between people and elephants.

A 2019 study says that people live in nearly 70 per cent of the elephant range in Sri Lanka. It means people encounter elephants more frequently. The problem is severely found in the Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Eastern Forest Ranges. With the latest statistics, this year appears to be the worst in terms of the number of deaths on both sides.

People expand further into wild space for agricultural activities, resulting in herds of elephants marauding croplands at the end. Nutritious crops like maize, rice and bananas are enticing for gentle giants.

Farmers are used to install electric fences, but the solution has not yet been effective. Then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa formed a high-level committee consisting of experts from different fields who came up with a National Action Plan. This committee was headed by elephant biologist Prithiviraj Fernando of the Centre for Conservation and Research (CCRSL), and submitted its report in December 2020.

Current President Ranil Wickremesinghe, has recently directed authorities to enact the action plan, in line with the elephant conservation policy adopted in 2006. An action plan is needed. In most regional countries afflicted with the human–elephant conflict, farmers use common tactics to drive away wild elephants from their lands, according to affected farmers.

According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, elephants are mega-herbivores that eat up to 150 kilograms of forage and drink up to 190 litres of water a day. It says they must navigate across large areas to find enough food and water to survive. But, the land is shrinking, making co-existence harder. An action plan has to be evolved with practical approaches, as otherwise both humans and elephants will continue to perish.

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Comments - 11

Gune Tuesday, 05 December 2023 06:51 AM

Has anyone seen how poor farmers' livelihoods been destroyed by elephants? Those authorities hardly go and see them, and worse still, their families never live in those areas. Having a hard life is bad enough without fertiliser, without money etc, and to get your crops destroyed by wild animals is a double whammy. Where are the solutions?

Mutual trust and understanding Tuesday, 05 December 2023 07:34 AM

To avoid human elephant conflict people should increasingly feed wild elephants on roads that pass through jungles. It would improve mutual trust and understanding between the two species and will help the long time survival of both species.

DBS Lumbini Tuesday, 05 December 2023 07:36 AM

Traffic lights needed at all elephant passes to save elephants and also to avoid tragic accidents. Jackson Anthony passed away at an auspious time after the colision at a fateful time. In a fully mismanaged country, things remind of the Sinhala Baila that sing IGPs recommendation for traffic lights.

Ram Tuesday, 05 December 2023 09:16 AM

When our politicians are not bothered about children dying of starvation why worry about elephants

Gnanasara Tuesday, 05 December 2023 10:27 AM

What is the so called Minister of Wild Life Pavitra Devi doing? Is she just seated in her air- conditioned room? This Ministry should be entrusted to another human elephant Prasanna or Nimal.

Waco Tuesday, 05 December 2023 10:50 AM

Has the Government resolved a single issue. They are blaming the farmers. The Government must take area by area and take appropriate action. Committees are not effective. So call Educated Book- Worms are useless. Best example was “ Viyathmaga”, utter failure.

DD Tuesday, 05 December 2023 01:17 PM

Why cant the authorities build an overhead animal crossing like other countries for safe passage of wild animals minimising the risk of accidents and engage in meaning full program to avoid elephant human conflicts make a buffer zone so human dont go into the elephant areas and do cultivation. We are the person who are encroaching into their area as they have been using these crossings for generations so we are bound to have conflicts with train and humans. We have to avoid them and avoid going to their areas. As for the crossing the same applies and we should build ovrhead crossings so the animals can cross safely. If building is costly let the trains slow down to crawling speed when they enter the elephant area thus allowing the engine to slow down and let the elephants cross. We have to find a compromise.

Man Tuesday, 05 December 2023 01:50 PM

Deforestation of politicians and their henchmen is the cause while distributing firearms by Amaraweera and Chandrasena. Taming wild marauding elephants is the only option left rather than letting those to get killed. CTC can be asked to reforest rather than that land of Manduwangal (Ambilipitiya) after vacating the encroached lands like farms and sugar plantations, etc. What is the use of environmental conferences if there is no safety for fauna and flora, in SL?

Umar Perera Tuesday, 05 December 2023 03:40 PM

Elephant pathways and territories are documented well from the past. Humans are encroaching on their territory. This cannot be sorted out without recognising that humans are the most destructive and invasive species on the planet. We have to reduce our numbers. We can also learn to be smarter in agriculture.

Mohan Tuesday, 05 December 2023 07:09 PM

At this rate, the Sri Lankan elephant could become an extinct species.

APS Friday, 08 December 2023 08:55 PM

As an environmental scientist, reading some of these comments make me want to hit my head on a brick wall. Feeding wild animals only increases dependency on humans for food. Some solutions to the HEC in Sri Lanka are: 1. Investing a proportion of the money the department of wildlife conservation obtains from park entry fees, to provide facilities like hospitals and schools in villages that are close to national parks, so that villagers see the value of wild animals being alive, not dead. 2. Providing education to villagers in HEC areas about HEC and coexistence so that humans and elephants can co exist. 3. Preventing the deforestation of existing forested lands for agriculture and housing, and reforestation of habitat. 4. Proper land use planning so that elephant corridors are identified and not disrupted by agricultural practices and housing. 5. Strictly enforcing speed limits for trains and severe penalties for those who breach these penalties and kill wild elephants.

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Tragic elephant deaths mount, calls for swift action

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