Spa Ceylon and Wildlife and Nature Protection Society to raise awareness of Human-Elephant Conflict

Tuesday, 13 August 2024 00:23 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Spa Ceylon Co-Founder and Group Director Shalin Balasuriya (left) presents the cheque to WNPS President Graham Marshall at the launch of the ‘Gaja Nena Sahana’ scholarship program, initiated in collaboration with WNPS, to support children who have lost their parents due to the Human-Elephant Conflict in Sri Lanka. The program is part of a series of events hosted together by Spa Ceylon and WNPS titled ‘Help Save The Majestic Ceylon Elephant’, to celebrate World Elephant Day 2024

Spa Ceylon has partnered with the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) to raise awareness of the Human-Elephant Conflict in Sri Lanka, through a series of events, in celebration of World Elephant Day 2024.

The initiative titled ‘Help Save The Majestic Ceylon Elephant’ is aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 15, ‘Life On Land’, which aims to protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of ecosystems, and to halt the loss of biodiversity.

The WNPS and Spa Ceylon collaboration kicked off with a Wellness Run in Colombo, followed by the launch of a scholarship program titled ‘Gaja Nena Sahana’, to support children who have lost a parent due to the Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC), in Sri Lanka. The monthly scholarship fee will be awarded to the beneficiaries until the end of their formal school education.

During the last five years, a total of 689 human deaths have been recorded in the country due to the Human-Elephant Conflict, of which 169 persons lost their lives in 2023.

Other events taking place to celebrate World Elephant Day 2024 with this initiative include a poster exhibition, an awareness bus ride, and a public lecture on ‘Co-Existing with Wild Elephants’, conducted by eminent conservationists as a comparison study between Botswana and Sri Lanka, to explore ways to uplift communities challenged by the HEC.