The Hon. Ajith P. Perera
While supporting the motion, Ajith P. Perera urged the Government to prioritize an updated national elephant census, noting that the last census was conducted in 2011 and recorded 5,879 elephants, including 122 tuskers. He cited recent human–elephant conflict deaths among both people and elephants and requested accurate data on elephant numbers, sex ratios, district and reserve distribution, corridors, and movement patterns. He argued that such data is necessary for agriculture, tourism, conservation, and national planning.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Mr. Deputy Speaker, while supporting the motion, I draw attention to human–elephant conflict (HEC). Conducting wildlife censuses for peacocks, monkeys, etc., is useful, but an updated elephant census is essential. The last elephant census was in 2011, which counted 5,879 elephants, including 122 tuskers. Since then, HEC has caused heavy losses: in 2019, 122 human and 407 elephant deaths; 2020, 112 humans and 318 elephants; 2021, 142 humans and 375 elephants.
¶ 02 We need accurate data: numbers, sex ratios, distributions by district and reserve, corridors and movement patterns (including Sri Pada and Sinharaja areas). This is vital for agriculture, tourism, and national planning. I urge prioritizing and conducting a national elephant census urgently.
¶ 03 Thank you.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Friday, 11 July 2025 ·No. 1753082553092748 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Ajith P. Perera. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 11 July 2025. No. 1753082553092748. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/21188