Elephant survey result out next week

Disna Mudalige

The statistics of the first countrywide elephant survey will be released by next week, a Wildlife Conservation Department (WCD) Spokesperson told the Daily News yesterday.

She said that an expert team commenced analyzing and reviewing the statistics collected at countrywide stations last Thursday at the Peradeniya University Statistics Department.

She said that data is being computerized for easy and fast access. Data collected is being carefully scrutinized to avoid double counting.

The expert panel includes Asian Elephant Specialists such as Prof Charles Santiapillai and Bruce Read from the USA. WCD Director General H D Ratnayake, WCD Deputy Director (Research and Training) S R B Dissanayake, University lecturers and Peradeniya University Statistics Department students are also in the panel.

The spokesperson said that the data of the survey will be effectively used to build a suitable wildlife conservation plan for Sri Lanka and to control the human-elephant conflict soon after the assessment of the data.