First Ever Census of Elephants in Sri Lanka to Help Protect the Endangered Species against the Loss of Habitat

13th July 2011, in.news.yahoo.com, By Bharatha Mallawarachi - Associated Press

Sri Lanka is preparing for its first census of elephants in the island's forests to help protect the endangered species against the loss of its habitat.

The head of the Wildlife Department, Chandrawansa Pathiraja, said the census will run over two days starting on the full moon of next month, which falls on Aug. 13.

Elephants will be counted as they come to drink from water holes, reservoirs and tanks.

With the survey, Pathiraja said he hopes to find out the minimum number of elephants, distribution of the population and the composition of herds, including males, females, babies and tuskers.

It will also help the government determine whether it needs legislation to regulate the elephant population.

"The census we do can be used for many years for the policymakers and government authorities in order to prepare policies and projects aimed at conservation of elephants," Pathiraja said.

Elephants are considered sacred animals in Sri Lanka. Costumed and decorated pachyderms are used in Buddhist ceremonies as they parade through streets carrying the sacred relics of the Lord Buddha.

In the past, elephants were the country's trucks, taxis and even battle tanks.

But human encroachment and development have eaten into their habitats, and wild elephants are increasingly entering villages in search of food, rampaging through houses and destroying crops and killing people.

Around 250 elephants are killed every year, mostly by farmers. About 50 people are killed in elephant attacks each year too.

The only count available now dates back a century when an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 elephants roamed wild in Sri Lanka. But habitat loss and poaching are believed to have roughly halved their numbers.

Wildlife officials estimate Sri Lanka's elephant population at between 5,000 to 6,000.

Previous head counts by the Wildlife Department were confined only to certain regions and in 1993, one such census found 1,967 elephants but it excluded the island's north and east where a civil war was raging at the time.

With the war's end in 2009, wildlife officials have gained access to the former war zones. The Wildlife Department has already opened up some parks that were closed down during the quarter-century strife.









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Two More zones Open at Yala National Park, the Second Largest in Sri Lanka

03rd January 2011, www.island.lk, By Ifham Nizam

The Ministry of Agrarian Services and Wildlife had taken steps to open two more zones at the Ruhuna (Yala National Park) this month to give a further boost to tourism.

Minister S. M. Chandrasena told The Island that the Zone 2 and 3 would be opened this month.

He said a strategy would be worked out to prevent disasters resulting from man-elephant encounters. "I see this conflict as one between farmers and elephants. Elephants suffer due to their habitat loss while farmers lose economically owing to damage caused by wild elephants."

In Yala, the Minister said, only the Zone 1 located 300 km south of Colombo, had been opened for the public in the past due to terrorist threats that prevailed at that time.

But, the entire park was now open to visitors, he said.

Yala, situated in the southeast region of the country in the Southern Province and Uva Province, is the second largest national park in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's Former War Zone to turn into Elephant Sanctuary. Jungles of Mullaittivu Declared a Safe Haven for Wildlife

30th November 2010, www.lankabusinessonline.com

Sri Lanka is to turn a vast jungle area that was a base for the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels into a wildlife sanctuary, 18 months after the end of island's bloody civil war, the government said Tuesday.

The jungles of Mullaittivu, from where the rebels launched attacks for decades until they were defeated by government troops last year, has been declared a safe haven for wild animals, the information department said.

"The wildlife sanctuary would be a solution for the conflict between the humans and elephants in the surrounding areas," it said in a statement, adding the sanctuary would be about 100,000 acres (40,500 hectares).

Spreading human settlement has left elephants short of habitat in Sri Lanka, with the animals often entering villages and farms looking for food.

Sri Lanka's elephant population has dwindled to about 4,000 from about 12,000 in 1900, according to wildlife officials.

Sri Lanka's Wildlife Sanctuaries Reopened. Kumana, a Bird Sanctuary and Lahugala, a Wildlife Park Famed for Elephants

30th January 2010, news.xinhuanet.com

Two of Sri Lanka's renowned wildlife sanctuary sites were reopened on Saturday after years of closure because of the conflict between the government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels, a government official said.

Ananda Wijesuriya, director of the Wildlife Conservation Department said the two sites were opened to the public on Saturday were located at southeastern and eastern parts of the island.

Kumana, a bird sanctuary and a main eco-tourism attraction, is 312 km southeast of the Colombo while Lahugala, a wildlife park/ sanctuary reserve, is 318 km east of the capital.

They have been shut for tourists since 2005 when the fighting between the two sides escalated.

Both areas were under security clouds due to clashes until May last year when the rebels were defeated.

"After the end of the war we received security clearance," Wijesuriya said.

The end to the civil conflict has made Sri Lanka a major tourism attraction, the tourism authority said.

Sri Lankan Tourism Has Tremendous Potential in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and Japan

26th October 2009, www.dailynews.lk, By Charumini de Silva

The Sri Lankan tourism industry has tremendous potential to grow further with the dawn of peace. The opening up of the North and the East has brought positive hopes to the Sri Lankan tourism as two-thirds of the coastline, which was formerly under the control of terrorists, has been liberated making it accessible to tourists.

"It is essential for Sri Lanka to promote tourism with professionally designed awareness programs to penetrate the market. During the past three decades, the travel advisories of several western countries gave a negative picture of the country and since peace has been established, it is important to spread awareness among the travellers to the effect that the country is now free of terror and safe to travel," a Senior Travel Consultant, Rob Murrer told Daily News Business.

He said Sri Lanka is a beautiful country with a very rich culture and a historical background. There are many places of interest for travellers to explore. Another plus factor is that the travellers have the opportunity to enjoy the hot and cold climates with the minimum of travel and waste of time. This country is a paradise where travellers would love to spend their holidays, but the tourist industry needs strong marketing programs to promote tourism. Participating in international exhibitions, distribution of professionally designed brochures, approaching multinational companies, leading travel agencies and chambers, holding road shows and e-commerce is essential to promote Sri Lankan tourism, he said.

He said that there should be a target market to approach. There was a tremendous market from Germany, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and Japan.

As a start, Sri Lanka could focus on these markets and gradually the country would be able to capture the other markets. A lot of tourists visit the country to enjoy nature and the tranquil beaches, as they need to relax because of their busy lifestyles. With the opening of the North and the East to tourism, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau has to play a vital role to promote tourism industry by introducing activities such as surfing, wildlife safaris, eco-tourism, snorkelling and adventure, Murrer said.

Another Tourism Consultant Ans Peeters said there are various sectors that could be easily promoted through and Ayurvedic medicine is one of them as it has a great demand from the tourists. Sri Lanka could also enter the market by becoming a paradise for shoppers, as there is high demand for Sri Lankan apparel all over the world.