Thieves remove 28 km electrified fence:

Over 70 jumbos storm Hambantota project site

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

Wildlife authorities warned about a dramatic rise in the elephant-human conflict situation as over 70 elephants had stormed into an area near the Hambantota Development Project site. Meanwhile, Wildlife Officers launched hunt to capture five rogue elephants which had trampled to death three persons in the area over the past few weeks.

The herd of elephants had entered the area through a broken electrified fence. The fence , however, was not broken by the elephants, said Southern Province Assistant Wildlife Director B A Muthubanda. "The wires of the fence had been cut and taken away by some people," he said.

It will be difficult to drive the elephants away from the area because of the dry season.

The animals are starving, Muthubanda said. The elephants have crossed the area through an opening of a three kilometre area where the thieves had removed wires from the 28 kilometre electrified fence between Hambantota and Suriyawewa that was deterring elephant crop raiding and potential elephant-human conflicts in the area, he said.

Asked why that the fence was not maintained, Muthubanda said the people was guarding it had left because they had not been paid for months by those who promised to pay for their efforts.

According to villagers, a group of individuals working at Walawe Left Bank Project in the area , had collected money from the farmers and opened a bank account to pay the Ali-weta (elephant-fence) guards from the village, but they left the fence as they were not paid.

Southern Province wildlife guards said, chances are high that the displaced elephants will raid farmlands near the forest and attack villagers.

Asked if they could reduce the number of human deaths by possible elephant attacks by capturing the five "bulls" rampant on human killing, they said they have problems in getting veterinarians to dart the animals to tranquilize them.

"The vets refuse to support us to tranquilize the animals owing to transport problems at the Southern Province Wildlife Department", they added.

Asked what they would do to the elephants after they capture them, Muthubanda said they will take them to the department's 2000 hectare Bull Park in Lunugamwehera.

Southern Province Wildlife Department has over 250 wildlife guards. Asked if it was not possible to control the elephants and prevent a potential damage against human lives and property under the circumstances, Wildlife Officers and Guards told the Daily News, it was gong to be a task as big as the elephants themselves because there are over 70 displaced elephants among them five rogue bulls yet to identified and captured.

"It is a matter of life and death to do this job. But we are getting a labourer's salary for four years in spite of our dedicated services to the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

We are not paid properly despite a circular regarding raising our salary scales for four years," said an officer attached to the Wildlife Range Assistants' Union.

"We are doing our best putting our lives at risk to protect the elephants and the humans, who will protect us" , they asked.