Friday, July 11, 2025
spot_img

Sri Lanka to conduct elephant census after 10 years

Date:

Share post:

spot_imgspot_img

Colombo, Jan 25 (IANS) Sri Lanka’s Department of Wildlife Conservation will conduct an island-wide elephant census this year after a decade to determine the exact number of the animals in the country, local media reported on Monday.

Secretary to the Ministry of Wildlife Conservation Bandula Harischandra said an elephant census was last conducted in 2011 and it was estimated that Sri Lanka had 5,179 tuskers, reports Xinhua news agency.

Sri Lanka last year recorded the highest annual elephant deaths and second-highest human fatalities in the world due to the human-elephant conflict, according to Sri Lanka’s Committee on Public Accounts (COPA).

According to COPA Chairman Tissa Vitharana, while the average number of elephant deaths due to the human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka is 272 per year, 407 elephants had died during the past year.

While the average number of human deaths due to the human-elephant conflict is 85 per year, 122 people had died during the past year, Vitharana said.

Killing wild elephants in Sri Lanka is a criminal offence, but there have been regular reports of angry villagers poisoning or shooting them.

spot_imgspot_img

Related articles

22 Maoists, including eight females, surrender in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, July 11: In a significant development in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, 22 Maoists laid down their arms on...

BJP looting land, forest, water: Rahul Gandhi at ‘save Constitution’ rally in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, July 11: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday targeted the BJP, alleging that the ruling party has...

Centre plans Rs 1,345 crore subsidy scheme to boost production of Rare Earth magnets

New Delhi, July 11: The Indian government has drawn up a scheme to offer subsidies to the tune...

We missed no targets in Pak, not even a glass pane broken in India: NSA Doval on Op Sindoor

New Delhi, July 11: National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Friday addressed the convocation ceremony at IIT...