Toll from human-elephant conflict continues to mount on both sides

By Ifham Nizam

One hundred and sixteen elephants have been killed so far this year, whereas human deaths due to elephant attacks number 35, the Wildlife Conservation’s Department latest update reveals.

A senior Department Official said that the numbers were rising alarmingly this year due to ad hoc clearing of forest areas.

Department’s Publicity Director, Hasini Sarathchandra, contacted for comment, told The Island that the department was in the process of clearing shrub areas, providing electricity and bus services to 134  electorates identified as human-elephant prone areas

The department also said on Sunday two persons had been killed in a village at Ulhitiya due to wild elephant attacks.

The incident had taken place within a kilometre from the residence of Heen Menika, another resident who was killed by a wild elephant.

Sri Lanka has the highest casualty rate from the human-elephant conflict in the world, says renowned scientist cum Elephant authority, Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya.

Dr. Pilapitiya, who is also the former Director General of the Wildlife Department, said that 2019 was a particularly bad year, as 407 elephants had been killed. On an average, 85 per cent of elephant deaths were due to clashes with humans.

Wildlife Department statistics indicate that every year between 2011 and 2020, 272 elephants had died. In 2019, the toll hit 407. It came down to 318 in 2020.

The average annual human death rate due to the human-elephant conflict was 71 between 2005 and 2010, and 54 between 1992 and 2001. It has increased by about 14 per cent from the previous decade and by some 50 per cent in comparison to the past two decades.