Sri Lanka seeks assistance for elephant conservation

Sri Lanka has sought assistance from the World Bank to conserve its wild elephant population, an official said on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka boasts of 6,000 wild elephants, a major tourist attraction in the island nation.

The Director General of the Wildlife Conservation Department, W.S.K. Pathiratne, told Xinhua news agency that another nationwide census would be conducted at the end of the year to estimate the total number of jumbos in the wild. The last was done in 2011.

"We found 5,789 elephants in the wild. It is a high number. It might have increased by now," he said.

Wild elephants are scattered throughout the country. But they are found mostly in the dry zone.

"With the increase of the number, the country also faces the increased incidence of human-elephant conflict. We have worked out a plan for the conservation of elephants while protecting human habitats as well," he added.

--IANS

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