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16 elephants, eight people killed as human-elephant conflict rages in Hambantota
Despite promises that government would give top priority to prevent human-elephant conflict via the Hambantota Elephant Conservation Declaration, a plan is yet to materialise.
A wild elephant attempting to cross the iron barrier along a main motorway in Hambantota
The haphazard development projects started by the previous Rajapaksa regime at Mattala and Hambantota have completely ignored implementation of basic environment re quirements, and these concerns have been limited to the paper on which they were written.
Mining and logging continues unabated in the virgin forests of Sapugala, Sinukkugala and Tekkawatta with no thought of the damage done to wildlife habitat.
While the Mahaveli Authority is said to have identified and demarcated sections of the forest as being reserved for elephant conservation,concern is being raised as to whether they have taken into account the traditional elephant tracks and habitat of the elephants.
Taking to the streets: Elephant dung on the main road
Meanwhile the Department of Wild Life which initiated the’ Conservation Declaration’ as a solution to the human-elephant conflict in these areas remains a mere spectator to the ongoing developments.
While 16 elephants and 8 persons have fallen victim to the human-elephant conflict and a number of others have suffered serious injuries, the declaration remains in drawers and cupboards of the bureaucrats.
The rapid and careless clearing of forests is worsening an already bad situation.
There is no marked out reservation for the animals and a growing threat of the encroachment by hunters and in the meantime the elephants continue using their traditional tracks as the photographs show.
Man intruding into elephants' habitat: Forest clearing at Hambantota