Retired Government Officer of the Wayamba Environmental Authority Dr. Saman Senanayake said the human-elephant conflict have worsened in Sri Lanka today and many answers given to resolve it failed since they lacked proper planning and commitment.
He said Wildlife Conservation Department statistics show that since the 19th century to date, 7,284 wild elephants have been killed including 56 tuskers.
He said the hill country now hardly had wild elephants and they exist only at dry zone plains.
Villagers engage in chena cultivation in dry zones plains and wild elephants have to undergo severe difficulties in finding their food, he said.
Saman said the Mahaweli Project took thousands of prime habitats of wild elephants resulting in the starting the second phase of the human-elephant conflict.
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