Wildlife Department steps-up trapping rogue elephants

Nimal Wijesinghe- Anuradhapura Additional District Group Corr

The Wildlife Department has accelerated trapping rogue-elephant operations in the wilderness of the Anuradhapura, Vauniya and Puttalam Districts, with attribution to killing or mauling farmers and other villagers.

The accelerated operations programme has been launched by the department following numerous complaints received from farmers and other villagers in the North Western Wildlife Conservation Zone which includes the Anuradhapura, Puttalam, Kurunegala, Mannar and Vavuniya Districts.

Directions to capture and transfer these rogue elephants to sanctuaries had been issued by Wildlife Conservation Minister S.M. Chandrasena following recent discussions.

The programme launched by the Wildlife Department includes the tracking and capturing of rogue elephants identified as violent, shifting them to sanctuaries and reservations, driving wild elephant herds to the jungles and erection of electrified fences including repairing of broken-down fences.

During the last two weeks alone, six rogue elephants roaming the Talawa, Moragoda Ulikkulama and Srawasthipura in the Anuradhapura District and in Galgamuwa in the Kurunegala District, were trapped and transferred to the Okanda Reservation Park in Lahugala.