It was revealed in the Parliament today (06) that a total of 3,477 wild elephant fatalities have actually happened in Sri Lanka over the past nine years.Minister of Environment Dr.
Dammika Patabendi presented the figures in a report detailing the continuous human-elephant dispute in the country.
The report suggested that between 2015 and 2019, an overall of 1,466 wild elephants lost their lives, while the number increased to 2,011 deaths from 2020 to 2024.
In addition, the Minister reported that the dispute has actually likewise led to substantial loss of human lives.A total of 1,190 human deaths were reported due to wild elephant attacks in the last nine years.
Of these, 456 deaths occurred between 2015 and 2019, and 734 deaths occurred in the following five years, from 2020 to 2024.
Responding to a question from Member of Parliament Kins Nelson, Dr.
Patabendi acknowledged the intricacy of the concern and reiterated that fixing the human-elephant conflict would take some time.
He also highlighted the difficulties dealt with by the Department of Wildlife Conservation in addressing the matter.The Minister further ensured the general public that adequate funds would be allocated in the upcoming budget to tackle this pushing issue, which has seriously affected both wild elephants and human populations.Dr.
Patabendi stressed that the resolution of this crisis would include ingenious options, consisting of brand-new research study and collaboration with appropriate institutions, as the government looks for to discover a balance in between protecting wildlife and securing human lives.