Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2016-10-25

Erection of the Electric-fence 800 km in length around the villages where Wild Elephant threats exist

- Human lives of 60 to 80 numbers and over 200 lives of elephants are lost annually due to the conflict between the wild elephants and humans. The issue could be kept under control to a certain extent by restricting the straying of wild elephants into agricultural farm lands in search of food and water. It has been revealed that the most effective methodology to be adopted in this regard, is the erection of the electric fence. The length of the electric fence erected which has already been erected around forest reserves and the villages and the farm lands where the elephant conflicts exist, is about 3,300 km. Towards the erection of about 275 km of the electric fence required to be completed for the year 2016 under the National Plan for the Management of Human-Elephant Conflict is now underway. Under this programme, it has been planned to erect an electric fence of 800 km in length in the year 2017, in 07 Wildlife Zones where majority of the conflicts between human and elephants are reported. The proposal made by Hon. Gamini Jayawickrema Perera, the Minister of Sustainable Development and Wildlife, to purchase the materials required for the purpose, was approved by the Cabinet.