Island-wide elephant protection operation advances under new policy framework

Sri Lanka's island-wide elephant protection operation, launched this month in Galkiriyagama under the North-Western Wildlife Zone, is being expanded under a policy framework that brings together the Ministry of Environment, the armed forces and the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

The operation, known as Hasthi Sena or Elephant Force, aims to protect wild elephants from life-threatening dangers while reducing human-elephant conflict in rural areas.

In its initial phase the operation is focused on protecting 17 elephants identified as facing immediate threats. Authorities plan to extend coverage to around 80 per cent of elephant-inhabited areas, with the remaining areas to be addressed through a separate initiative.

Continuous raids and legal action form a central part of the framework, targeting the use of illegal firearms, improvised explosive devices known locally as hakka-patas, unauthorised electric fences and snares, all of which pose serious threats to elephants.

Sixty military personnel have been deployed in ten operational teams organised into six groups, working under the direct supervision of the Army Commander. An infantry division has also joined the effort to identify unauthorised electric fences erected by villagers in affected areas.

Officials said the initiative relies on scientific and planned measures to safeguard elephant populations while reducing the threat to villages, crops and human lives, describing it as a long-term commitment rather than a one-off exercise.