Vote on budget could ensure elephant safety

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

The vote on the budget today is expected to pave the way for the conservation of elephants whose habitats are under pressure by exploding human population growth, Agrarian and Wildlife Ministry officials yesterday told the Daily News.

The ministry officials on wildlife conservation said the final vote on 2012 budget will finalize an allocation of Rs 200 million for the construction of four centres for elephant conservation in national parks.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has promised these funds to elephant conservators in a bid to address the increasing human-elephant conflict in the country.

According to Wildlife Conservation Department’s Elephant Conservation Unit Deputy Director W S K Pathiratna, this is the first time that any Sri Lankan government had paid so much attention to address the problems of human-elephant conflict.

“The conservation centres have been designed for optimal elephant storage with each conservation area exceeding 1,000 hectares,” said Pathiratna.

“Once the Elephant Conservation Centres have been opened, we expect that it will reduce the number of humans killed by elephants and elephants by humans,” Pathirana said.

He said they are planning to construct 2,000 hectare Elephant Conservation Centres in Lunugamwehera and Maduru Oya.

“We expect to acquire forest lands from the Department of Forestry to construct another two Elephant Conservation Centres in Horopathana and Galgamuwa,” he said.

“We are planning to get the State Engineering Corporation to build them,” he added.