An island-wide wild elephant census is planned by the Department of Wildlife Conservation for September 13 and 14.
Some 250 jungle locations close to water holes have been selected by the Department to conduct the survey, Department media spokesperson Hasini Sarachchandra told the Daily News.
The Department seeks to mobilise up to 4,500 people in teams at these locations and in the forests to do the counting.
The Department hopes that with public mobilisation, the enumerator teams will comprise Wildlife Department officers, public servants, tri-forces and police personnel and wildlife enthusiasts. Each team deployed would be headed by a Wildlife Department officer.
The last elephant census was carried out in 2011, and the wild elephant population was counted as 5,879. However, the counting could not be done in some areas in the North and East during that previous survey.
“This will be the first wild elephant survey that properly covers the entire country. The survey locations are close to water holes because every elephant usually approaches a water hole within a 24-hour period. The dry weather is suitable for the survey. We chose the Poya Day, because moon light is an additional advantage for the survey,” she said. The Department estimates that the census will cost around Rs 80 million.
People interested in joining the wild elephant census should contact telephone number 011-2888585 and register with the Department to join in the field work of the two-day census.
(Daily News)