Nearly half of Sri Lanka’s electric fences meant to protect communities from wild elephants are being damaged by human activity, while another 50% are destroyed by the elephants, according to industry expert Ananda Dissanayake, Chairman of Manahara Lanka.
Speaking at a media briefing in Colombo, Dissanayake, who has been engaged in the electric fencing industry since 2014, said that in four decades of use, electric fences in Sri Lanka had never been constructed to proper standards. He blamed the Department of Wildlife Conservation for failing to follow specifications, which, he argued, had allowed elephants to learn how to break through, leading to repeated raids on villages, destruction of houses, and loss of human lives.
Dissnayake added that lack of routine clearing and maintenance had further weakened the fences, making them collapse easily. “The Department does not have even a single officer with adequate technical knowledge to regulate and monitor electric fences. What is urgently needed is a cadre of trained officials to inspect and maintain them,” he stressed.
Dissanayake also raised alarm over the practice of firing shots in the air to drive elephants away, saying it had caused many elephants to go deaf. “These deaf elephants cannot hear trains and end up dying prematurely on railway tracks. The Department must launch a separate study on this tragic issue,” he said.
He further pointed out that gunfire also disturbs birdlife, causing nests to fall and eggs to be destroyed.
by Pradeep Prasanna Samarakoon 