SL has highest elephant deaths in the world: COPA

 COPA Chairman Prof. Tissa Vitharana (centre) speaks during the meeting to analyse the audit report

• Second highest number of human deaths due to human-elephant conflict
• Last year 407 elephants and 122 people died
• COPA orders national coordination committee be set up to resolve issue
• Most of 4,211 km of electric fence not maintained

The highest number of elephant deaths in the world due to the human-elephant conflict annually is reported from Sri Lanka, the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) was informed this week. 

Sri Lanka also ranks second in reporting the highest number of human deaths due to human-elephant conflict in the world whilst India holds the first rank. 

Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando, a specialist in human-elephant conflict, explained the above at the Committee meeting held to analyse the Special Audit Report on the elephant-human conflict in Sri Lanka. 

Even though the average number of elephant deaths due to human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka is 272 per year, 407 elephants have died during the past year, said Committee Chairman Prof. Tissa Vitharana. 

It was also revealed that although the average number of human deaths due to the human-elephant conflict is 85 per year, 122 people have died during the past year.

Prof. Vitharana and other members emphasised the need for the Wildlife Department and other relevant agencies to work together on a more efficient program to resolve the human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka, which has now become a serious problem.

He also said that despite 60 years of efforts to resolve the human-elephant conflict, no significant progress had been made and that a new approach was needed to find a solution. 

Therefore, the COPA directed the Department of Wildlife Conservation to set up a National Coordinating Committee with all relevant institutions as soon as possible to reduce the human-elephant conflict. 

The committee pointed out that although 4,211 km of elephant fences had been constructed by 2016 to control the human-elephant conflict, they had become inactive in a short period of time due to improper maintenance.

Although Rs. 86 million is spent annually for the maintenance of the electric fence, the committee pointed out there exists a need for the Wildlife Conservation Department to monitor whether this maintenance is being carried out on a daily basis. The committee also pointed out that this maintenance should be done with the support of the communities living in the area.

The committee also discussed the fact that many constructions had to be halted due to protests by the people in some areas who thought that the construction of the fence was a boundary of their land. 

The committee pointed out that although the Civil Defence Force had carried out maintenance of the fence, the lack of any agreement was a major shortcoming. The Committee stressed that Rs. 150 million has been provided to the Civil Defence Force for the year 2020 without any agreement and that steps should be taken to setup an agreement for this purpose as soon as possible. 

State Ministers Dayasiri Jayasekara, Lasantha AlagiyawannaMPs Tissa Attananayake, Gunapala Ratnasekera, Dr. Upul Galappaththi, Prof. Ranjith Bandara, Secretary to the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation and other officials were present.