The Ministry of Environment has begun issuing vehicles to wildlife officers responsible for maintaining Sri Lanka’s 5,741-kilometre electric fence network, under a programme the government describes as a shift from temporary measures toward a scientific, data-driven approach to human-elephant conflict.
Resources were allocated after assessments of the extent of fencing in each area, the intensity of human and elephant casualties, and terrain conditions.
What has been distributed
A total of 112 motorcycles have gone to wildlife regulators: 36 to Polonnaruwa, 22 to the Eastern region, 17 to Anuradhapura, 13 to Trincomalee, 12 to the Southern region and 12 to the North-Western region. The stated objective is for one regulator to oversee an average of about 40 kilometres of fencing — a ratio that would require roughly 143 officers to cover the full network.
The wildlife sector’s operational fleet is also being restructured, with 16 double cabs, 84 single cabs, nine field tractors, one hand tractor and three specialised deep-forest vehicles deployed to Range Forest Offices and Beat Offices. These are intended to support elephant drives, night operations and work in rugged terrain.
Dedicated cabs have been provided to regional veterinary units at Pandulagama, Lunugamvehera, Nikaweratiya and Giritale, and to the Elephant Transit Home, to strengthen emergency response for treatment.
Funding
The ministry said the expenditure is being met through the Wildlife Preservation Fund, without additional burden on the Treasury.
The government linked the conflict’s growth over recent decades to unplanned development and habitat fragmentation. Official figures recorded 204 wild elephant deaths in the first eight months of 2026, and the Department of Wildlife Conservation reported a decline in both human and elephant fatalities earlier this month.
Daily Mirror was the only newsroom carrying the announcement at the time of publication.
