Video footage of a wild elephant being shot and set on fire caused outrage and renewed scrutiny
(UCAN) Buddhist monks and environmentalists have urged the Sri Lankan government to adopt a nationwide programme to prevent human-elephant conflict, after video footage of a wild elephant being shot and set on fire went viral on social media.
Police arrested three men, on 18 December, in the north-central district of Anuradhapura on charges of cruelty to animals, according to media reports.
Wildlife officials said the elephant sustained more than a hundred bullet injuries before it was set alight. Veterinary surgeons’ attempts to save its life failed, they added.
The arrests were made after the video drew widespread outrage and increased concerns over escalating human-animal conflict.
Buddhist monks and environmentalists demanded that the government take immediate measures to prevent such inhuman acts in the future.
Ven. Pahiyangala Ananda Sagara Thera, a Buddhist monk and environmental activist, condemned the act as “shameful.”
“The innocent animal came to fulfil its hunger but was shot and burned alive,” he told reporters.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa urged “an emergency national response to the crisis, calling attention to the necessity of collaboration between the government, the Department of Wildlife, and civil society to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts.”
He also called for a nationwide education programme, beginning with schools in areas where such conflicts exist.
Shanilaka Nayanajith, head of the We for Environment group, stressed the need to establish elephant corridors, implement early warning systems, and install additional electric fencing to prevent such incidents.
He also called for community awareness programmes, the use of deterrents to prevent crop damage by animals, and the relocation of problem elephants to safer locations, among other measures.
“There is a need for greater collaboration between the government and the communities to reduce human-elephant conflicts,” Nayanajith told UCA News.
Priyadarsani Saduni, an environmental activist based in Colombo, said existing laws in the country are inadequate to address the perpetrators and called for stronger laws to protect wildlife.
Ven. Walawahengunawawe Dhammaratana Thera, chief monk of Mihintale Rajamaha Temple, urged the government to take immediate action, enforce strict penalties, and protect elephants.
Sri Lanka is home to an estimated 7,000 elephants. It is illegal to kill them in this Buddhist-majority nation, with the animal having religious significance.
However, more than 2,000 elephants have died in the last five years, including 130 this year.
Sri Lanka lost 433 elephants in 2022, 488 in 2023, and 386 in 2024, according to official data. The deaths are mainly a result of shooting, poisoning, and electrocution.
Wildlife experts report that elephant habitats are shrinking due to increased human activity and development. Villagers chase away elephants when they stray, torturing them and driving them into wildlife reserves.
Opposition leader Premadasa demanded swift legal action against those responsible for such actions.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told Parliament in November that it was proposed to allocate Sri Lankan rupees 1,000 million (US$3.23 million) to accelerate the construction of electric fences and 10 million rupees to research long-term solutions to mitigate human–elephant conflict.
from The Island https://ift.tt/PGn5roC
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