Wild Elephants in the Wayamba reserves may stand to lose 450 hectare of their habitat due to human activities. If all parties concerned including the people show some flexibility and agree to the programme drawn up by the Wild Life Department, the human-elephant conflict in Wayamba could be easily resolved, said Assistant Director of Wild Life Wayamba region A H Sumanadasa.
He said that according to the latest census there are a total of 6,000 elephants in Sri Lanka and 1,063 of them are in Wayamba Wild life zone.
The Pallekelle reserve in Kahalla, the only habitat of elephants in Wayamba is threatened. Due to the Wayamba Ela and Irudeniyawa development projects and forcible acquisition of land belonging to the Hakwatunewa wewa for the creation of human settlements.
Although the department planned to enclose the Hakwatunewa wewa to the Kahalla reserve by erecting an electrified fence, the plan had been obstructed due to forcible land grabbing in the area.
He said under the human-elephant reconciliation programme named ‘Divi Surekuma’ launched on the directions of Wild Life Minister Gamini Jayawickrema Perera, a project had been initiated from Wegadara village to erect electrified fences to secure villages from elephant attacks, Sumanadasa said.
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