May 15, Colombo: The Sri Lankan government is to set up a sanctuary in the Anuradhapura District of the North Central Province as part of its elephant conservation programme.
Wild Life and Agrarian Services Minister S.M. Chandrasena says the government is to establish the sanctuary at a cost of Rs. 250 million.
The sanctuary is to be located in a land extent of 3,000 acres in the Horowpathana area.
The Minister has said that monies collected from foreigners and visitors to the sanctuary would be used to maintain the sanctuary and provide for the elephants.
According to Chandrasena, food needed for the elephants would be purchased from people in the area.
Statistics have revealed that the human-elephant conflict has resulted in the killing of over one hundred elephants in the past few years. The government therefore has taken several measures to protect the elephants while minimizing the human-elephant conflict.
Source: Colombo Page
