Zoo Elephants’ entitlement comfort inn captivity
For most of us, the Dehiwala Zoo is a place of interest as there are so many animals to be viewed; but for some others, it is a place where large animals that cannot speak are forced to entertain and are confined to small areas and remain chained for most of their lives.
Elephants at the Dehiwala Zoo cannot remember a day when they were free of chains. The Dehiwala Zoo commenced operations in 1939 and is one of the oldest zoos in Asia; however, since its inception no director general saw it fit to rid these poor animals of their chains.
When Ceylon Today visited the Dehiwala Zoo, the most heartbreaking sight was that of a baby elephant lifting its front leg and trying to remove the chain with the trunk and another in another similar scene, another elephant calf was trying to remove its chain from the leg by its trunk. This is the stress and trauma these majestic animals are put through just so that visitors can come and stare at them. These elephants in captivity are highly stressed and this is visible by the way they sway backwards and forwards while confined to their small enclosures and kept for viewing.
The African elephant Jora was brought from Botswana together with a female Nandipa around 1995. Nandipa died at the zoo in 2005. Since then, the zoo officials have seen no need to get Jora a partner. Jora remains tied in a small area at the zoo.
According to zoo officials Jora is not allowed to interact with the other elephants because he is of a different species. According to former Deputy Director Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWLC) and elephant expert Dr. Nandana Atapattu elephants are social animals and require the company of other animals.
But despite the plight of these animals local and foreign visitors can be seen blatantly taking pictures and showing their children these animals in chains as if they were a painting to be admired.
The decision to construct an open elephant enclosure for the first time in the history at the zoo was taken by a former Director General of the zoo Brigadier H.A.N.T Perera way back in 2004. It was Brigadier Perera who understood the suffering of these large animals and decided it was about time they were freed of their chains. The extent of the elephant area at the time was six acres and the estimated cost was Rs 35 million. However, the land allocated for the open elephant enclosure was reduced to a little more than one acre; due to the lack of space, at the Dehiwala Zoo.
The open elephant arena was to be completed by the first quarter of 2005. But even today, zoo officials are still struggling to complete this elephant enclosure.
Acting Director General Dammika Malsinghe told Ceylon Today that work on the open elephant enclosure was stopped temporarily; due an internal problem with the Buildings Department. “I have spoken to the relevant officials and work on the elephant enclosure will commence soon. When the elephants are kept in a free roaming area, minus their chains, the mahouts lose control over the animals. Plans are underway to complete the elephant enclosure by the end 2016,” Malsinghe said.
But the zoo authorities are yet to come up with a plan to release Jora the African elephant from his chains. “When the elephant enclosure is complete all the elephants except the African elephant will be put in the new enclosure. We have to decide if we are to keep Jora at Dehiwala or send him to the Hambantota Safari Park,” Malsinghe said.
The delay in the construction of the open elephant enclosure through the years was due to the change in directors, before the work was completed. With the change in government Brig. Perera was removed from his post as Director General and his plans for the open elephant arena was delayed.
The previous, Director General, Bashwara Gunaratne, who took office in 2010, told Ceylon Today at the time, that the open elephant enclosure would be completed by December 2011. However, Gunaratne’s tenure as Director General was over in mid 2012 and the open elephant enclosure was not completed when he left.
In late June 2012, the then Director General Anura de Silva, told Ceylon Today, that they hope to complete the open elephant enclosure by December 2012. “Due to a lapse on the part of the State Engineering Corporation work on the elephant arena was further delayed and not completed in December 2012. I have told the State Engineering Corporation, that work on this area has to be completed by the end of August 2013. We are not in a position to cancel the agreement we have signed with the State Engineering Corporation as they were chosen after having called for tenders.” De Silva said at the time.
“When some of the elephants tested positive for Tuberculosis they were kept in the area where the open elephant enclosure was to be built and work was delayed further.”
“If an elephant is tame there is no need to use the bullhook and chains to control the animal. If there are professional and experienced mahouts they should know how to command and control the animals. Elephants are intelligent animals and understand better than humans. In foreign zoos Asian and African elephants are kept without chains. If an elephant can’t be taken without chains then don’t take that animal anywhere. Elephants walk for 20 kilo metres a day in the jungle. Some animals may walk in one place and go round and round but that amount of distance is covered by the animal. This exercise helps to keep the animal’s body healthy. If, however, the animal exceeds 20 kilo metres he will stop and rest for a while. At least five acres of land is needed for five adult elephants to roam in an open enclosure. If the Dehiwala Zoo doesn’t have enough space to keep these elephants they should be taken to a place where there is sufficient space for the elephants to roam,” Dr.Atapattu explained.
The zoo is also criticized for forcing elephants to perform at the elephant show every day at 4.30 p.m.
“I hate to see elephants standing on their heads, sitting on small stools and standing on two legs to perform. The elephant doesn’t play the mouth organ even though children are made to believe that they do. 20 per cent of the breathing is done by the elephant’s mouth and 80 by the trunk. When the mouth organ is kept close to the elephant’s mouth every time, the elephant breathes, the mouth organ makes a sound. I detest elephants being forced to perform these gimmicks due to fear of the ankus and the kris knife. Fruits are given to elephants when they perform a trick, just like giving a baby a chocolate. Elephant shows have been a zoo feature since the inception of the zoo and it is high time this was stopped,” Dr. Atapattu explained.
Zoologist Dilan Peiris says not many people know the meaning of a zoo. “The purpose of a zoo is to conserve and protect its animals for future generations. All zoos should work towards the welfare of the animals. But the Dehiwala Zoo is not moving forward but backwards when it comes to animal welfare. The elephant performance at the Dehiwala Zoo shows that there is no animal welfare when it comes to these animals. The elephant shows should be stopped immediately. Why should animals be forced to perform to entertain visitors? Forcing these animals to perform is not good for their health. Educational programmes should be introduced for children at the Dehiwala Zoo. The zoo should not be closed down but should be improved where animal welfare is concerned,” Peiris explained.
Zoo officials, however, have no plans of stopping the elephant performance. “The elephant show is continuing at the zoo. But some items such as the elephants standing on stools and in an up-right position were stopped recently. The item where the elephants stand on their heads was stopped some time ago. Educational items such as how an elephant carries a log have been introduced to the show instead,” Malsinghe said.
The first elephant show was in 1947. However Jora the African elephant and Bandula are not taken for the elephant shows. Bandula is used to carry the elephants meals that consist of leaves and branches to the elephant shed. While transporting the food Bandula is untied for a short period of time. Bandula the oldest male elephant was brought to the zoo in 1949.
Source : 20/09/2016 Ceylon Today, http://www.ceylontoday.lk/print20160701CT20161030.php?id=5785
Protecting Sri Lanka’s elephant population
Mitigating the Human-Elephant Conflict and reducing the alarming rate at which elephants are currently being killed (about four per week) requires addressing various aspects of the problem simultaneously without resorting to stop gap, piece-meal solutions, asserts Srilal Miththapala.
In an interview with Daily FT, the passionate wildlife enthusiast, untiring advocate of conservation of wild elephants and experienced tourism professional points out that such a major multi-faceted campaign to address the HEC will need State patronage and leadership, together with a strong private sector partnership.
“Until there is a will from the Government to handle the HEC as a top priority in a holistic manner, I am afraid nothing much will happen, and we are doomed to see our wild elephant population eventually dying off,” he warns.
Following are excerpts:
Q: Elephants gather in Minneriya during the dry season due to the relative availability of water in the area. Are there signs that this pattern is being (or will be) disrupted due to climate change and more intense bouts of drought? If so what effect will this have on the park and on the elephants?
A: So far there has been no appreciable change to be noticed, even though there have been some changes in the weather patterns. The most critical element in this annual phenomena is the natural ebb and flow of the reservoir annually. Just as much as the reservoir getting filled during the rainy season is important, the gradually drying up of the reservoir during the draught is also important.
When the water recedes it leaves behind fertile, moist soil where lush grass quickly sprouts, which is good nutritious food for the wild elephants. So apart from changing weather patterns and other natural causes, if the reservoir is in any way artificially filled by channelling water from other sources for additional storage for irrigation purposes, it will affect this natural annual ‘ebb and flow’, resulting in disastrous consequences for ‘The Gathering’.
Q: You’ve written about the revenue making potential of ‘The Gathering’ but can Minneriya National Park handle an influx of tourists without deteriorating conditions for wildlife?
A: Yes I did estimate that ‘The Gathering’ is now worth about more than Rs. 1 billion annually. But I never did imply that it can go on increasing forever. There is a limit to the growth, and visitor influx has to be curtailed once there are signs of over-visitation and disruptions to the elephants’ feeding behaviour. I am told that this year the situation has reached unprecedented levels and that something needs to be done very urgently to curb over-visitation.
Q: Some environmentalists would argue that commercialisation of wildlife is categorically wrong and leads to abuse, as seen in Dehiwala Zoo or Yala. In your opinion, are profit and conservation compatible? What steps can we take to maintain a balance?
A: I think conservation and commercialisation can be compatible, but only if managed and balanced extremely carefully and ethically. The problem arises in maintaining this delicate balance. There must be no exploitation, no unethical use of captive animals, and above all they have to be well cared for and used for educational, and conservational purposes only.
Q: The Government has recently approved keeping a pool of around 35 elephants for peraheras – a solution that you have vocally supported in the past. Do you see this as a permanent solution or one step in phasing out elephants in religious and cultural activities?
A: Yes, I have supported this, and it has turned into a controversial issue now! So let me explain. Peraheras and elephants are a rich cultural and religious tradition in Sri Lanka, coming down from historical times. Having said that, traditions also need to change gradually overtime, as perceptions and the social environment changes… but not overnight. So I believe over a period of time, the custom of using tame elephants in pageants will, and should stop. Until then we need an interim solution.
We have a captive herd of some 80 odd elephants at the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage or PEO as it is known, most of whom have lived all their life in captivity. There is no way these animals could be rehabilitated and released into the wild, because they will just not know how to fend for themselves. So what some of us have suggested is to handpick a group of suitable elephants, from this source (PEO), with the correct temperament, and physique, to be trained and used in pageants as an interim measure. The orphanage could earn valuable income which can in turn be used for upkeep and improvement of its facilities.
As time goes by, if the human elephant conflict is managed and mitigated well, there will be fewer orphaned elephant calves from the wild, and ‘input’ to the PEO will reduce, and gradually such elephants available for ‘pageant duty’ will also reduce. Hopefully by that time people would have realised that having hundreds of elephants in pageants is not viable option, and we may see peraheras with just a few customary elephants in the procession, together with one with special characteristics to carry the relics.
Q: On what basis do you think these elephants should be selected and how should their numbers be replenished over the years? Furthermore, how do we ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of elephants who will be driven around the country and exposed to loud festivals on a regular basis?
A:As indicated earlier, they should be handpicked to ensure that only good, healthy individuals with the correct docile temperament are chosen. They should each have a dedicated fulltime mahout, who will ensure that the animal is properly transported, looked after and managed during such pageants. Proper transport facilities should be provided as a part of the hiring package offered by the PEO, and at all times the PEO should be able to monitor the elephants. There could be roster in place to ensure that some animals are not overused. Of course all this requires very strict guidelines and monitoring, which in itself is another challenge.
Q: Recently the issue of starving elephants has come up. What are some of the driving factors for this and what can be done in the short and medium term to address this problem?
A:I think you are referring to the issue brought up recently at a talk about elephants in wildlife parks being malnourished. This problem actually stems from the mismanagement of National Parks and alienation of elephants from other forest areas. Contrary to what many people believe, elephants are not particularly fond of heavily forested areas. They prefer scrub grass lands and other secondary vegetation. When they are confined to National Parks, and when translocated elephants from other areas are also introduced or herds driven into the parks, without any consideration of carrying capacity, these food sources dwindle and the elephants slowly start getting malnourished.
Large-scale proper management of the flora of the park has to be carried out in a symmetric manner to help re-generate these food sources that the elephants need. A prime example of this is the Uda Walawe National Park (UWNP), which had one of the best thriving and healthy populations of wild elephants in Sri Lanka. Overcapacity has gradually eroded the environment and food sources in the park, and with no interventions to stimulate re-growth of the eroded grassland, it is now beginning to show, with several emaciated looking individuals being sighted now.
Over 65% of the wild elephant population of the island live outside protected areas, which often have much richer and nutritious food sources. The easiest ‘solution’ to the HEC in the name of conservation is to drive these elephants into the parks, further aggravating the problems within the parks… when actually the need is to manage these animals outside the protected areas itself.
This is a good example to show that the HEC cannot be solved by a few quick-fix solutions. There has to be a management plan for these peripheral areas, many of which do not come under the purview of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, but under the Forest Department, which then opens out complex issues of jurisdiction and responsibility.
Q: Finally, do you feel the tide is turning when it comes to elephant conservation efforts? Is Sri Lanka progressing in terms of preserving if not growing its elephant population? What are some of the policies and factors responsible for this?
A: Unfortunately I do not think the tide is turning at all. There is still no cohesive and holistic approach to tackle the Human Elephant Conflict (HEC), with only typical ‘kneejerk’ responses to problems. Take for example the recent incident where four elephants were knocked down by a train and killed. The immediate solution is fitting infra-red cameras on trains. This problem has been discussed so many times before, analysed and solutions suggested.
There are a whole range of issues which have to be addressed here. The attitude of the engine drivers, the speeds of the trains and stopping distances, visibility around bends and line of sight, etc. I know that Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya travelled on a train several years ago to see for himself the issues and understand the complexities. What a few us concluded was that no ONE solution would work, and that there needed to be a multi-pronged, cohesive solution, addressing both the hard and soft issues.
Similarly mitigating the HEC, and reducing the alarming rate at which elephants are currently being killed (about four per week) requires addressing various aspects of the problem simultaneously, in a cohesive, focused, organised sustained manner, without resorting to stop gap, piece-meal solutions. Such a major multi-faceted campaign to address the HEC will need State patronage and leadership, together with a strong private sector partnership.
So until there is a will from the Government to handle the HEC as a top priority in a holistic manner, I am afraid nothing much will happen, and we are doomed to see our wild elephant population eventually dying off. –
Source : 29/08/2016 Dailly FT http://www.ft.lk/article/564056/Protecting-Sri-Lanka-s-elephant-population#sthash.oNgiT8C3.dpuf
Elephant-human conflict, the most crucial issue not even identified
Since 1950, a minimum of 4,200 elephants have perished in the wild as a direct result of the conflict between man and elephant in Sri Lanka. During the last 12 years, a total of 1,464 elephants were killed, along with 672 humans
The suffering of poor farmers due to invading elephants is being highlighted practically every-day in media and newspapers. According to media reports, elephants invade farmers’ cultivations, destroy crops and damage their homes.
Villagers demand that the Government should build electric fences to safeguard them from invading elephants. Meanwhile, environmental organisations complain of the numbers of elephants killed due to gunshot wounds as well as jaw-blasting explosives (hakkapatas) used by the farmers, and those fall into farmers’ unprotected wells and irrigation channels.
Reducing elephant population
Centuries ago, elephants were widely distributed from the sea level to the highest mountain ranges. Portuguese complained of elephants approaching their fortress in Colombo in the evenings. From early 19th century, British rulers sold the upcountry forest lands for commercial plantations of coffee, and afterwards tea.
Until 1830, elephants were so plentiful, the British declared the elephant as an agricultural pest and their destruction was encouraged. The British indulged in shooting elephants as a sport and an army major was supposed to have killed over 1,500 elephants. Between 1829 and 1855 alone, more than 6,000 elephants were captured or shot. The shooting of elephants drove the remnant herds to the lowlands. Currently, there are no elephants in the hill country, except for a small herd that migrates occasionally.
By the turn of the 20th century, elephants were still distributed over much of the island. The ‘Resident Sportsman’s Shooting Reserve,’ an area reserved for the sporting pleasure of British residents, is the current Ruhuna National Park. In the early 20th century, dry zone ancient reservoirs were reconstructed for irrigated agriculture, irrigation systems were rehabilitated and people were resettled. After independence, Gal Oya, Uda Walawa, Mahaveli and other development schemes resulted clearing many thousands of acres. As a result, elephant habitat in the dry zone has been severely fragmented.
During Lanka’s armed conflict, elephants were killed or crippled by land mines. Between 1990 and 1994, a total of 261 wild elephants died either as a result of gunshot injuries, or were killed by poachers and land mines. Between 1999 and 2006 nearly 100 wild elephants were killed every year. In 2006 a total of 160 elephants were killed.
The Sri Lankan elephant population is now largely restricted to lowlands in the dry zone, east and southeast. Elephants are present in wild life reserves and a small remnant population exists in the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary. Apart from Wilpattu and Ruhuna National Parks, all other protected regions are less than 1,000 km2 in extent. Many areas are less than 50km2, and not large enough to encompass the entire home ranges of elephants that use them.
In the Mahaweli Development Area, protected areas as Wasgomuwa, Flood Plains, Somawathiya and Trikonamadu national parks have been linked to give an overall area of 1,172km2 of contiguous habitat for elephants. However, elephants in this country seem to feel shy of using corridors designed by man. Resulting, about 65% of the country’s elephants range extends outside the protected areas into human settlements and agricultural areas. It is claimed that Sri Lanka has the highest density of elephants in Asia.
The “Sri Lankan elephant” (Elephas maximus) is one of three recognised subspecies of the Asian elephant, and native to Sri Lanka. Since 1986, Elephas maximus has been listed as endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the previous 60-75 years.
Domesticating elephants
Sri Lanka has a long history of domesticating elephants – back to the times when Sinhala Kings kept them for military purposes and to enhance the majesty of their reign. Today, domesticated elephants are engaged in following work:
- Logging – particularly in forested areas
- Construction – Historically elephants have played a big role in the construction of ancient historical cities.
- Tourism – elephants are engaged to give tourists rides. The elephant orphanage at Pinnawela operated by the National Zoological Gardens is a big tourist attraction.
- Ceremonies and temple work – Elephants participate in annual temple processions all over the country. Often they are richly caparisoned and are central to proceedings. Other elephants are permanently kept at temples and houses as a status symbol.
Feeding the elephants
An elephant consumes up to 150kg of plant matter per day. According to experts, local elephants feed on a total of 116 plant species, including 27 species of cultivated plants. More than half of the consumed plants are non-tree species as shrubs, herbs and climbers and 19% are grass. Young elephants tend to feed mostly on grass varieties. About 5 sq.km of land is needed to support an elephant in its forest habitat.
Human-elephant conflict
With the reduction of their habitats, elephant population have broken up and some herds have got pocketed in small patches of jungle. With their movement restricted, food and water sources depleted, elephants wander into new cultivated areas, which were their former habitat, in search of food and find a ready source of food and even stored paddy is not spared.
With their large size and equally large appetites, elephants can easily destroy the entire cultivation of a farmer in a single night. Therefore the farmers look upon the elephant as a dangerous pest and would rarely regret its disappearance from their area. Thus the conflict between man and elephant has become the most serious conservation problem facing the Department of Wildlife Conservation.
The ecological and social costs of clearing forests to resettle villagers have proved to be very high.
Since 1950, a minimum of 4,200 elephants have perished in the wild as a direct result of the conflict between man and elephant in Sri Lanka. During the last 12 years, a total of 1,464 elephants were killed, along with 672 humans.
Causes of conflict
The conflict between the two parties is due to the food shortage to the elephants caused by:
- Reducing forest area due to development works
- The rape of the forests
- Villagers encroaching into forests
- Grasslands being used by farmers’ cattle
- Low forest quality
Reduced forest area
During the past few centuries forest area was reduced due to cultivations, depriving elephants their natural habitats. The lands consist of mountainous and valleys or rolling lands with highlands and low valleys. Over the centuries, top soil from mountains and highlands got washed off due to rain and sediments were deposited in valleys. These fertile valleys support lush vegetation and provide most food to elephants.
During the development schemes, the lands below the irrigation canals were allocated to settlers, and mountains and highlands with poor soils were earmarked as animal sanctuaries. But none looked into the ability of the high lands to supply animal needs.
The rape of the forests
Along with the reduction of forest area, the quality of forests that produced food for the elephants and other animals reduced due to human action. With the increase in human population demand for timber increased, which were obtained from the forests. Today, timbers as satin and ebony with their 200-year maturity are almost extinct.
Most hardwoods take long years to mature; they also make low demand from the soil fertility and even water. The grain patterns of their wood, a result from the dry and wet spells the tree underwent over the long growing period. Today, most popular timber varieties have disappeared from forests. While our indigenous valuable trees have disappeared, spaces they occupied were replaced by fast growing and quick multiplying thorny invasive plants, mostly imported to the country as ornamental plants. Today, most of our forests constitute of shrubs, devoid of tall trees.
Village encroachment
During colonisation, landless families were settled in development schemes. After decades, with children grown up and raising families of their own, original lands are insufficient. They encroach into low fertile valleys depriving elephants from their food supply. While villagers encroach into forests, authorities under political pressure turn a blind eye. When elephants enter their traditional lands, villagers complain and demand electric fences to keep elephants at bay. Even the elephant corridors are not safe from encroachment.
Grasslands being used by farmers’ cattle
Grass are a major component of elephant’s food and is found mostly in lands undergoing periodical floods, also reservoir beds when water levels go down. Cattle farmers have found convenient to drive their cattle into traditional elephant grasslands, depriving elephants their food.
Low forest quality
With the forests being deprived of their tall trees for human needs, their slow growth give rise to gaps being filled with shrubs. The eating habits of elephants reduce foliage of consumable plants, meanwhile non-consumables, especially thorny shrubs continue to expand. Currently, most forests are being filled with thorny shrubs.
Wildlife conservation
During the last century, Sri Lanka has established probably the widest, wildlife conservation areas in Asia. Most located in the low country dry zone, where human pressure was not serious enough to prevent the recovery of elephant numbers. The recovery was slow at first, but under the management of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), the number of elephants seems to have picked up.
The DWC has identified several areas where the elephant-human conflict has become serious and has adopted following conservation measures to mitigate the conflicts:
- Elephant deterrence – the use of noise, flashes and shock tactics to chase elephants
- Establishment of new National Parks and increasing the size of conservation areas.
- Establishment of elephant corridors – to allow the safe passage of elephants from one habitat area to another.
- Habitat enrichment of elephant areas to enhance carry capacity
- Translocation of elephants to less populated areas
- Electrical fencing – forming solid barriers between farmland and elephant habitat
- Ex-site conservation and breeding programme
- Control poaching
- Synergising elephant conservation with economic development.
Today, conservation efforts are in full force to protect the species. Under Sri Lankan law, the penalty for killing an elephant is death.
Enforcing legislation
Although killing of an elephant could bring death penalty, never has been an occasion when a culprit was brought to court, although the entire village is aware of the gunmen and the users of ‘hakkapatas’. If the Grama Sevaka is questioned when the elephants are attacked or when forests are set on fire some control of elephant killing could be averted.
Invasive plants
While elephant numbers remained comparatively high, their food supply has decreased drastically, with the loss of their habitual grounds due to deforestation, irrigation schemes, human settlements and encroachment. Many reasons are brought out for elephant attacks on village settlement, but the most important reason is not even mentioned: the gradual reduction of availability of food (leaves) to elephants, due to widespread encroachment of mostly thorny, fast-spreading invasive plants into jungles, shrubs to low and even highlands of the country. This aspect has not been raised even by the Environmental organisations.
Amongst the invaders are giant mimosa (maha nidikumba) brought to the country on the backs of goats as food for IPKF senior staff, now are widespread all over the country. A few decades ago, Spiny bamboo (Katu una), ‘Bambusa bambos’ was planted in Minneriya Wild Reserve to provide long fibre material for the Valachanai Paper Factory. The factory never used the bamboo, but the plant has been spreading fast in the park. The bamboo does not serve any purpose and the thorns on the plant keep the elephants away.
Our entire country, jungles, shrubs, household gardens, marshes and even the Horton Plains has been inundated by invasive plants. Some of them are commonly known by Sinhala names giving the impression of being indigenous plants, for example Wel Atha “Annona glabra” originating from West Indies. From the low land opposite the Ministry of Environment to marsh adjoining Weras Ganga Park bordering Bellanwila temple are almost covered with Wel Atha and indigenous plants as Kadol have disappeared. Gandapana “Lantana camara” from W. Indies and Podisingho-maran or Eupatorium (Japan Lantana) are spread throughout the dry low country. In addition, Andara (Dichrostachys cinerea) and Giant eraminiya are widespread.
A common factor in all above are being thorny and are not consumed by any animal (except the fruit) and are fast-spreading. An indigenous plant Diyapara “Dillenia triquetra” (similar to Godapara, but shorter and grows in marshes) is fast spreading especially in the marshes and adjoining high grounds in the south and west is visible when travelling on the Southern Highway.
Settlement of conflict
The basic reason for the conflict is the shortage of food to elephants resulted from clearing of jungles, removing valuable jungle trees and plants, encroachment of low fertile valleys by villagers, taking over of natural grasslands by cattle farmers and poorly-planned elephant corridors. To prevent further complication of the problem and to avoid elephant attacks on village settlements, further encroachment of lands by farmers need to be completely stopped and the villages heavily subjected to elephant attacks need to be relocated, although the move even on encroached land would be heavily resisted by villagers and some politicians.
But the most important reason is the encroachment of thorny invasive shrubs, filling the voids created by felling of trees and clearing jungles. As these invasive shrubs are not consumed by animals, their growth continue unabated with their prolific multiplying character. These invasive plants are not confined to jungles, but have spread over the entire country. The complete destruction of these plants is an urgent necessity to safeguard our environment, agriculture and to provide food to elephants, wild animals and cattle. They are also a threat to indigenous plants, Kadol (Rhizophora mucronata) has been almost wiped out by Wel Atha. These invasive plants need to be removed and destroyed, in addition the gaps caused by the removal need to be replaced by indigenous trees, plants and grass varieties consumed by elephants.
The threat created by the invasive plants is the heaviest environmental damage the country had undergone, but was not recognised. Their eradication and the replacement with indigenous plants, would involve producing and planting millions of plants in wide variety, would be beyond the capacity of any private or Government agency. The only possibility is the mobilisation of the Government Armed Forces who would have to face a bigger enemy than the LTTE, and elimination of the enemy may take over 30 years, considering that left-over roots could reappear with the next rain. The task would be the responsibility of Minister for Environment who also happens to be the Commander of the Armed Forces.
Our President has been addressing the school children on environmental issues, now is the time to match the words with deeds. Over to you, Mr. President.
