Elephants: A trumpet for Sri Lanka

By Olindhi Jayasundere The recent island wide elephant census has revealed there are 5,879 elephants in Sri Lanka and this marks the highest density of wild elephants in the Asian continent, Agrarian Services and Wildlife Minister S.M. Chandrasena said yesterday. According to the census out of a count of 1,107 baby elephants, 122 are tuskers, Wildlife Department Director General H.D. Ratnayake said.

The statistics showed that the highest number of elephants was concentrated in the Mahaweli region where the presence of 1,751 elephants was recorded. The lowest number of elephants was in the Central region with 47 elephants, 1573 elephants in the eastern region, 1,189 in the north eastern region and 1,086 in the southern region.

The minister said the large number of baby elephants was a further sign of an increasing elephant population in the country. Mr. Ratnayake said the census was also carried out to find ways and means to resolve the human-elephant conflict and ensure their protection and seek new methods on better managing them.

The census was conducted from 1,553 observation points with the participation of 3,500 officials from the Wildlife Department, Army and residents in the areas where the census was conducted and others. The island wide elephant census was conducted from August 11 to 14. The last elephant census was in 1993 which did not cover the North and Eastern Provinces.

The minister said though environmental groups had said the purpose of the elephant census was to hand-pick some 300 elephants for domestication to be sold to temples, this was not so and it would not be permitted.

“We will only permit lone elephants found stranded or selected elephants at the Pinnawala orphanage to be given to temples. No other elephants will be allowed to be domesticated,” he said.

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