An elephant census will be carried out in the country after 12 years since 2011, Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said.
According to the last census, the elephant population in the country has exceeded 5,000.
Minister Amaraweera said the support of civil organizations, non-governmental organizations and environmentalists who are interested in this census will be sought since there are not enough wildlife officers to conduct the census.
Meanwhile, the Minister said that there is a great impact of elephants on Sri Lanka’s agricultural activities.
Therefore, he said the findings of this census will be vital in revealing the population of wild elephants in the country as well as in implementing the programme taken to prevent conflicts between wild elephants and humans.
