By: Amit kumaR Agarwal
Sri Lanka has decided to take action and tackle clashes between villagers and wild elephants.
Speaking on the issue environment minister Dammika Patabendi told parliament that they will build more electrified fences and deploy additional staff to help reduce elephant raids on villages near wildlife sanctuaries - we are allocating more money to reduce the human-elephant conflict, and are hopeful that within a short period of time we will be able to mitigate the situation.
This decision comes after reporting the deaths of nearly 1,200 people and over 3,500 animals in a decade. "Between 2015 and 2024, 1,195 people and 3,484 wild elephants were killed," he said.
In January, 2025, three more people and 43 elephants were killed.
Earlier, opposition legislator Nalin Bandara said the toll was "shocking" and urged authorities to protect people, while also ensuring that the wild animals were not harmed.
He noted that disposing of the carcasses of wild elephants had cost the state about $11.6 million over a decade, while compensation to victims of elephant attacks was about $4 million over the same period.
Killing or harming elephants is a criminal offence in Sri Lanka, however, the massacre continues as desperate farmers struggle with elephants raiding their crops and destroying livelihoods.
Sri Lanka has an estimated 7,000 wild elephants, which are considered a national treasure, partly due to their significance in Buddhist culture.