By Rathindra Kuruwita

Environmentalists yesterday urged the government not to waste hundreds of millions of rupees on establishing another Elephant Holding Ground (EHG) at the Lunugamvehera National Park, as the EHG in Horowpathana had turned out to be a disaster.

Supun Lahiru Prakash of the Biodiversity Conservation and Research Circle told The Island yesterday that a recent report by the Auditor General had exposed the EHG in Horowpathana.

Prakash said: “The AG’s report points out the elephant census conducted in June 2019, which showed that out of all the elephants retained in the holding ground, 12 elephants had died, and out of that which five had been starving. Another two elephants died due to unattended translocation to the holding ground. It was observed that the health condition of the elephants retained at the holding ground were poor and no follow-up action was taken.”

Prakash said the AG’s report also highlighted significant misappropriation of government funds at the EHG in Horowpathana. Taking everything into consideration the AG observed that the objective of establishing the Horuwpothana Elephant holding ground had not been achieved.

Prakash said that despite the disastrous results at Horowpathana, the Department of Wildlife Conservation was constructing an elephant holding ground in the Lunugamwehera National Park under the Ecosystem Conservation and Management Project (ESCAMP) with World Bank assistance.

“The average area of habitation of a wild elephant is estimated as 50 km2 -600km2, the proposed Holding Ground at Lunugamwehera is about 35km2 in extent. Accordingly, that extent of land is not sufficient at least for a single elephant to move freely. The AG report also highlights that already about 400 elephants that lived in the Mattala area had been taken to Lunugamvehera and the EHG is only going to make matters worse there.”

Prakash said that elephants were attached to the area that they were born and grew up in and there had been many instances where elephants that were sent to Horowpathana returning to their original habitat.

“These animals then move through areas in which people have no experience in dealing with wild elephants. These encounters are deadly for both humans and animals. That is why we urge the government to refrain from repeating the EHG mistake,” Prakash said.