The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, under Standing Order 27(2), I raise an urgent matter: the Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC).

¶ 02 The intensity of HEC and conservation challenges have been evident for years. Fatalities, property damage, crop losses, and elephant deaths are widely reported. Yet a stable, appropriate response mechanism has not been implemented. I ask about the Government’s actions:

¶ 03 1. What recent censuses of wild elephants have been conducted? Can data be presented to this House? What is the current total wild elephant population?

¶ 04 2. What solution was formulated in 2020 to resolve HEC? Has it been implemented? Specifically, what is the status of the National Action Plan for the Mitigation of Human-Elephant Conflict, which is widely accepted but not implemented by this Government? Why is it not being implemented?

¶ 05 3. What timeline is envisaged for implementation?

¶ 06 4. How many human and elephant lives were lost due to HEC over the past five years?

¶ 07 5. What compensation is paid for loss of life, property damage, and crop damage? What criteria are used to calculate compensation? There is no systematic, efficient mechanism. What is the plan?

¶ 08 6. What laws prohibit the killing of wild elephants and what are the penalties?

¶ 09 7. What is the Government’s position on the Animal Welfare Bill?

¶ 10 8. What are the numbers of veterinarians and key staff in the Department of Wildlife Conservation by wildlife region for HEC mitigation and treatment of injured elephants and other animals? Is staffing adequate? Also, will you adopt structured international approaches like Wildlife SOS to treat injured elephants and other wildlife, including partnering with such programmes?

¶ 11 Thank you.