August 10, Colombo (LNW): The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) will conduct a nationwide census on wild elephants across Sri Lanka from August 17 to 19. The survey, led by Wildlife Conservation Department Director General Chandana Suriyabandara, will monitor elephants at 3,130 survey centers established throughout the country.
The census will involve the participation of staff from the DWC, other government agencies, security forces, private sector employees, students from higher education institutions, and volunteers. The Director General confirmed that these participants have received the necessary training, and their security will be closely monitored throughout the census. Minimal facilities will be provided to ensure their comfort and safety. The data collected will undergo formal analysis, and the results will be released accordingly.
The primary objectives of this islandwide elephant census include establishing and enhancing protected areas, developing strategic plans to mitigate the human-elephant conflict, balancing development activities with conservation efforts, reaffirming Sri Lanka’s commitment to international conservation, and making predictions about the future of the elephant population in the country.
The last nationwide elephant census was conducted in 2011, revealing a minimum population of 5,879 elephants in Sri Lanka. The survey indicated that 55.09% of the population were adult elephants, 25.03% were young elephants, 12.04% were calves, and 6.04% were infants.
