President Anura Kumara Dissanayake convened a high-level discussion this afternoon (24) at the Presidential Secretariat with key Ministers and officials to address the protection of wild elephants and the safety of rural communities affected by human-elephant conflict.
During the meeting, the President inquired into the increasing incidents of harassment involving wild elephants and their disruptive impact on the daily lives of people in rural areas.
Officials provided a detailed briefing on the current situation and the longstanding challenges faced by relevant institutions in effectively managing the issue, according to the President’s Media Division (PMD).
President Dissanayake underscored that wild elephants must not be harmed or harassed under any circumstances and stressed the need to develop short-, medium-, and long-term solutions. He instructed officials to carry out comprehensive assessments at the village level and emphasized that effective solutions must involve both political leadership and public cooperation.
To address the urgent shortage of human resources, the President directed the immediate deployment of 5,000 Civil Security Force personnel as field assistants. He also ordered an increase in the number of vehicles available to Wildlife Department officers, highlighting that the current lack of mobility hampers conservation efforts. Immediate procurement of cabs and motorcycles was also instructed.
Furthermore, the President called for the rapid preparation and submission of detailed plans for constructing 800 kilometres of electric fencing and restoring 16 designated elephant corridors to prevent wild elephants from entering villages.
President Dissanayake also stressed the need to resolve internal communication gaps within the Department of Wildlife Conservation and called for the establishment of an efficient system to ensure public access to timely information and assistance.
Attending the meeting were Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala, Minister of Environment Dhammika Patabendi, Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody, Environment Ministry Secretary K.R. Uduwawala, Acting Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasuriya, Director General of the Civil Security Department Major General Palitha Fernando, Director General of Wildlife M.S.L.R.P. Marasinghe, Deputy Director (Elephant Conservation) V.L. Thaufeen, DIG of the Environmental Division Bimshani Jasin Arachchi, Conservator General of Forests S.C. Palamakumbura, along with representatives from the security forces and the Department of Forest Conservation.
