The Ministry of Environment, Wildlife, Forest Resources, Water Supply, Plantation, and Community Infrastructure announced new initiatives to tackle the ongoing human-elephant conflict by reallocating unused ministry cabs to wildlife offices. This decision was discussed in a recent meeting between Minister Vijitha Herath and ministry officials.
A key issue raised during the meeting was the lack of landline telephone connections in some regional Wildlife Conservation offices. To address this, the ministry plans to work with a private company to improve communication between these offices and nearby villages.
Other steps discussed include preventing wild elephants from entering villages, distributing essential equipment to areas at high risk, and securing electric fences with the help of full-time village security officers and wildlife staff. Minister Herath emphasized the need for a long-term plan, stressing that a lasting solution is essential over quick fixes.
The Department of Wildlife noted progress in reducing human-elephant conflict, projecting a 50% decrease in elephant deaths compared to last year, with human fatalities from elephant encounters down by 20%. Despite these improvements, the department reported that around 90 elephants died last year due to human activities, particularly from power lines.
