Latest news with #Patabendi
The Star
4 days ago
- General
- The Star
Orphaned elephants return to the wild
Back where they belong: The baby elephants being released into the Mau Ara forest area. — AFP Authorities returned six orphaned and injured elephants to the wild after nursing them back to health under a long-running conservation project, officials said. Two females and four males, aged between five and seven, were released into the Mau Ara forest within the Udawalawe Wildlife Sanctuary, environment minister Dammika Patabendi said. He said it was the 26th such release of rehabilitated elephants since the Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home began its programme in 1998. 'We hope, in the interest of conserving elephants, we will be able to improve facilities at this transit home in the near future,' Patabendi said. The calves were transported in trucks and then allowed to walk free because they were deemed strong enough to fend for themselves or join wild herds. Baby elephants have minimal contact with humans at the transit home to ease their integration into wild herds. All elephants at the facility were rescued after being found abandoned, injured or separated from their herds. Sri Lankan authorities believe the transit home's strategy of rewilding rescued elephants, rather than domesticating them, has paid off. The centre's director, Malaka Abeywardana, said 57 elephants remain at the facility, which has released 187 back into the wild since the first release in early 1998. Sri Lanka had previously sent rescued calves to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, which has also become a popular tourist site. — AFP
eNCA
5 days ago
- General
- eNCA
Sri Lanka returns orphaned elephants to the jungle
Sri Lankan authorities returned six orphaned and injured elephants to the wild on Thursday after nursing them back to health under a long-running conservation project, officials said. Two females and four males, aged between five and seven, were released into the Mau Ara forest within the Udawalawe Wildlife Sanctuary, environment minister Dammika Patabendi told AFP. He said it was the 26th such release of rehabilitated elephants since the Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home began its programme in 1998. "We hope, in the interest of conserving elephants, we will be able to improve facilities at this transit home in the near future," Patabendi said. The calves were transported in trucks and then allowed to walk free because they were deemed strong enough to fend for themselves or join wild herds. Baby elephants have minimal contact with humans at the transit home to ease their integration into wild herds. All elephants at the facility were rescued after being found abandoned, injured or separated from their herds. Udawalawe, about 210 kilometres southeast of Colombo, is renowned for its wild elephants and is a major tourist attraction. Sri Lankan authorities believe the transit home's strategy of rewilding rescued elephants, rather than domesticating them, has paid off. The centre's director, Malaka Abeywardana, said 57 elephants remain at the facility, which has released 187 back into the wild since the first release in early 1998. Sri Lanka had previously sent rescued calves to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, which has also become a popular tourist site. Sri Lanka's Ministry of Environment/AFP | - The Pinnawala orphanage marked its golden jubilee in February. Conservation efforts have become increasingly urgent due to growing conflict between wild elephants and farmers. The human-elephant conflict has resulted in the deaths of around 400 elephants and 200 people annually over the past five years.
Khaleej Times
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Sri Lanka reports massive tolls in human-elephant conflicts
Sri Lanka vowed on Thursday to urgently tackle costly clashes between villagers and wild elephants after reporting the deaths of nearly 1,200 people and over 3,500 animals in a decade. Environment minister Dammika Patabendi told parliament that they will build more electrified fences and deploy additional staff to help reduce elephant raids on villages near wildlife sanctuaries. "We are allocating more money to reduce the human-elephant conflict, and are hopeful that within a short period of time we will be able to mitigate the situation," Patabendi said. Between 2015 and 2024, 1,195 people and 3,484 wild elephants were killed, he said. In January this year, three more people and 43 elephants were killed. Opposition legislator Nalin Bandara said the toll was "shocking" and urged authorities to protect people, while also ensuring that the wild animals were not harmed. He noted that disposing of the carcasses of wild elephants had cost the state about $11.6 million over a decade, while compensation to victims of elephant attacks was about $4 million over the same period. Killing or harming elephants is a criminal offence in Sri Lanka, which has an estimated 7,000 wild elephants, which are considered a national treasure, partly due to their significance in Buddhist culture. However, the massacre continues as desperate farmers struggle with elephants raiding their crops and destroying livelihoods. Many elephants have been electrocuted, shot and poisoned. Sometimes explosives-packed fruits are used to injure the animals, often ending in painful deaths. Elephants are also killed by trains running through their habitats. Seven elephants, including four calves, were killed when they were run over by an express train in the island's eastern Habarana region a week ago. It was the worst such accident recorded in the country. Asian elephants are recognised as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. An estimated 26,000 of them live in the wild, mostly in India, surviving for an average of 60-70 years outside captivity.
Voice of America
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
Sri Lanka reports massive tolls in human-elephant conflicts
Sri Lanka vowed Thursday to urgently tackle costly clashes between villagers and wild elephants after reporting the deaths of nearly 1,200 people and more than 3,500 animals in a decade. Environment minister Dammika Patabendi told parliament that they will build more electrified fences and deploy additional staff to help reduce elephant raids on villages near wildlife sanctuaries. "We are allocating more money to reduce the human-elephant conflict, and are hopeful that within a short period of time we will be able to mitigate the situation," Patabendi said. Between 2015 and 2024, 1,195 people and 3,484 wild elephants were killed, he said. In January this year, three more people and 43 elephants were killed. Opposition legislator Nalin Bandara said the toll was "shocking" and urged authorities to protect people, while also ensuring that the wild animals were not harmed. He noted that disposing of the carcasses of wild elephants had cost the state about $11.6 million over a decade, while compensation to victims of elephant attacks was about $4 million over the same period. Killing or harming elephants is a criminal offense in Sri Lanka, which has an estimated 7,000 wild elephants, which are considered a national treasure, partly due to their significance in Buddhist culture. However, the massacre continues as desperate farmers struggle with elephants raiding their crops and destroying livelihoods. Many elephants have been electrocuted, shot and poisoned. Sometimes fruits packed with explosives are used to injure the animals, often ending in painful deaths. Elephants are also killed by trains running through their habitats. Seven elephants, including four calves, were killed when they were run over by an express train in the island's eastern Habarana region a week ago. It was the worst such accident recorded in the country. Asian elephants are recognized as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. An estimated 26,000 of them live in the wild, mostly in India, surviving for an average of 60-70 years outside captivity.
