Local elephants fast losing fight against humans, COPA finds

Prof Tissa Vitarana heading the COPA inquiry on human-elephant conflict

By Saman Indrajith

An inquiry conducted by the Parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) has found that Sri Lanka is the country with the highest number of elephants killed due to the human-elephant conflict.

COPA Chaired by Prof Tissa Vitharana has also revealed that Sri Lanka was just behind India as regards the number of humans killed by wild elephants.

The inquiry headed by Prof Vitarana was also attended by State Ministers Dayasiri Jayasekera, Lasantha Alagiyawanna, MPs Tissa Attanayake, Gunapala Ratnasekera, Dr Upul Galappatti, Prof. Ranjith Bandara and top officials

of the Ministry of Wildlife Conservation, including Secretary to the Ministry Bandula Harishchandra.

The inquiry was held on Wednesday (9) to discuss a special audit report related to human- elephant conflict, according to parliamentary sources.

Renowned elephant expert Dr Prithviraj Fernando, the head of the Centre for Conservation and Research, briefing the COPA said that a large number of elephants were injured, some fatally in attacks by humans. He pointed out to the committee that deterrence from punishments against such acts was slow and not effective. Although a large number of elephants were killed by people the records did not reflect that, Dr Fernnado had pointed out to the COPA.

Prof Vitarana called for a report on how the allocation of Rs. 150 million for the Civil Defence Force to take measures to prevent the human-elephant conflict had been spent and ordered that the report be submitted to the COPA within three weeks.

Sources said that the COPA had discussed the practical aspects related to the use of electrified fences to ward off wild elephants.