The government of Sri Lanka has decided to conduct another census of the elephant population in the country in 2023. This was announced by the Ministry of Wildlife Conservation and Forest Resources of the island nation, reports Xinhua News Agency.
The need for a new census of elephants has arisen since about 12 years have passed since the last one, the agency cites an excerpt from a press release from the department.
A complete elephant census will be carried out in Sri Lanka as part of a long-term program to “reduce conflict between humans and elephants.” Despite its implementation, there are more and more conflict situations between the inhabitants of the South Asian country and these animals. One of the main reasons for their occurrence is the illegal settlements of people on the territory of the elephant reserves operating on the island. Such payments will be subject to liquidation during and after the census.
According to zoologists, the current population of elephants in Sri Lanka is approximately 2.5 thousand to 4 thousand individuals.