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Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2017-09-12
Declaration of the Ritigala - Yan Oya National Park and the declaration of the revised boundary limits of the Horowpothana National Park
- The 'Ritigala Elephant Transit Home' in Sri Lanka has been established as the second such Home for taking care of the displaced wild elephants and elephant calves covering the North, the North Central and the North Western Provinces of the Island. The land extent of 427.8 hectares inclusive also of the forest area adjacent to it has been proposed to be declared as Ritigala - Yan Oya National Park.

With a view to minimizing the human elephant conflict, it has been proposed to revise the boundary limits of the Horowpothana National Park inclusive of the land area adjacent to the Elephant Retention Centre in Horowpothana established for the capture and keeping them in captivity of the elephants who often trespass the villages and behave aggressively and also to re-declare it as the Horowpothana National Park. Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. Gamini Jayawickrema Perera, the Minister of Sustainable Development and Wildlife, to declare the Ritigala - Yan Oya National Park and the Horowpathana National Park with revised boundary limits, was approved by the Cabinet.