Treasury steps in to save jumbo lives

Chamikara Weerasinghe

The Treasury has allocated Rs 200 million to the Wildlife Conservation Department to prevent the increasing number of elephant deaths due to train accidents.

The Treasury had released the money on the directives of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa had reportedly directed Treasury Secretary P B Jayasundara to lend his fullest co-operation to the project.

The number of elephants killed on account of being hit by trains last year is the highest number recorded so far, according to Wildlife Conservation Department's Elephant Conservation Unit Deputy Director W S K Pathirana.

"Fifteen jumbos, including a number of female elephants and calfs were found dead on rail tracks bordering national parks last year," he said.

"Overgrown shrubbery that have spread up to railway tracks have been the main cause for these accidents," he explained.

"The animals face fatal collisions as they get trapped between the shrubbery and steep embankment on either sides of the track," he explained.

"They go in search of food - leaves, twigs, flowers, grass and water at night. Most elephant-train accidents take place during late hours between 6 pm to 5 am," he added.

He said the Wildlife Department has commenced clearing the railway tracks in Kanthale where elephant deaths are frequent.

The department has started the activity with Sri Lanka Railways.

A 10-mile stretch of track is to be cleared to provide safe passage for the elephant under the project, he said.

Meanwhile, elephant conservators thanked the President stating that this is the first time that any government has allocated so much funds to resolve the human-elephant conflict.

Steps will be taken under the project to fill more stones between the sleepers of the tracks to prevent the elephants from getting stuck between them, they said.

Elephant Conservation Deputy Director Pathirana said they had discussions with Transport Minister Kumar Welgama about using 'night vision' cameras to monitor the movements of elephant herds as the trains wend their way through accident prone areas of the forest.

Minister Welgama has agreed to install infra-red night vision to facilitate the process of monitoring elephant movement at night as a pilot project, he said.

http://www.dailynews.lk/2012/01/24/news18.asp