The Government is set to launch two pilot projects, the ‘Temporary Agricultural Electric Fence’ and the ‘Village Electric Fence,’ aimed at protecting villages and farmlands from wild elephants. The decision was taken following a discussion held on Monday, led by Senior Advisor to the President on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff, Sagala Ratnayaka, alongside heads of relevant departments, the President’s Media Division said.
In addition to the existing electric fences, pilot projects will be initiated in several conflict-prone districts to protect farmlands during the harvest season. These areas will be secured with temporary agricultural electric fences (Agro Fences).
The meeting also explored the proposal of constructing electric fences (Village Fences) around villages frequently experiencing human-wild elephant conflicts, aiming to safeguard these communities.
It was decided that farmers should dismantle the agricultural electric fences after harvesting, with the Department of Agricultural Development taking responsibility for maintenance and custody. Maintenance duties will also be assigned to the respective divisional secretariats.
Additionally, the preservation of a group of trained elephants for cultural events and parades, as well as addressing private elephant ownership, was discussed.
Ratnayaka instructed the relevant authorities to compile and present a comprehensive report outlining the challenges in implementing these resolutions for President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s review.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary of the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation Gunadasa Samarasinghe, representatives from various agencies, and members of the Wild Elephant Human Control Committee, including Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya and Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando. (Newswire)
