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Scientific team completes part of ongoing study on gene pool of 700 Lankan elephants

Published

5 years ago

2021/05/9

by Ifham Nizam

An eight-member scientific team has completed a comprehensive part of an ongoing study on the gene pool of 700 Sri Lankan elephants.

Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) and Agricultural Biotechnology Centre (AgBC) of the University of Peradeniya, are conducting a research on DNA analysis of wild elephants in Sri Lanka funded by the Ecosystem Conservation and Management Project (ESCAMP).

The scientific team comprises Ranjan Marasinghe, R. M. R. Nilanthi Rajapakse, H.A. Bhagya Hathurusinghe, Chandana Sooriyabandara, Dr. C. H. W. M. R. Bhagya Chandrasekara, Nuwan Jayawardana, M. Madawika Kodagoda, Dr. R. C. Rajapakse and Prof. Pradeepa. C. G. Bandaranayake.

“The study will clearly indicate the differences of the Sri Lankan elephant as a sub species. Our molecular methodology is based on using elephant dung, and the test is similar to the Covid-19 PCR test”, Researcher R. M. R. Nilanthi Rajapakse told The Sunday Island.

“We have already sequenced and assembled the genome of the Sri Lanka Wild Elephant (Elephas maximus maximus), the type subspecies of the Asian elephant. Comparative genomics work continues with available Asian and African elephant genomic data with the objective of identifying specific set of markers for the identification of Sri Lankan elephants”, the team said.

The first part of the research focused on 100 elephants, and it has now increased to 700 with continued focus on elephants in the forest patches etc., they remarked.

The project aims to examine the within-species genetic structure of the wild elephant across its range to better understand how genetically distinctive regional populations are and deviations of Sri Lankan elephants with those of other countries and how that might affect its conservation.

Conservation and management of elephants in Sri Lanka has become an important issue given the escalation of the Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) and international trade of wild elephants.

The Asian elephant, Elephas maximus, is an umbrella species in tropical forests. Wild elephants play important roles in maintaining forest dynamics such as opening animal trails in the forests, creating open gaps that facilitate seed and acting as a seed disperser for large-seed fruit species. The conservation status of the Asian elephant has been recognized as an endangered species since 1986. Wild Asian elephants are currently distributed mainly in the South and Southeast Asia.

Habitat loss and fragmentation, anthropogenic disturbance, illegal poaching and HEC have been considered as significant threats to the Asian elephants, resulting in population decline and fragmentation. These threats resulted in skewed sex ratio and disruption of social organization.

Acquiring information of wild populations is important for effective conservation and management of wild elephants.

Wild elephants in Sri Lanka is estimated to be between 5,000 and 6,000, according to the last survey conducted by the DWC in 2011. This is a relative high number considering the small size of the country (65,610 sq. km) and the human population of over 21 million.

For management of elephants in the wild, monitoring the changes in the structure and composition of the populations would be far more useful than estimating elephant numbers.

Therefore, genetic methods will be useful for management and conservation plan such as individual and sex identification, population size estimation, population sex ratio, genetic diversity, relatedness among individuals in a population, gene flow among populations, detection of bottleneck event, phylogeography of particular species, detection of hybridization, providing evidence of illegal wildlife poaching, including being a tool for genetic management of a population and long-term monitoring of the managed population.

It provides genetic information of the populations that could not be obtained from field data collection alone. Genetic methods, on the other hand, provide reliable information on population structure and facilitate investigation of genetic effects on small and fragmented populations. Advance genetic methods also provide better estimations on population size with reasonable cost and time.

Further, tracking of ivory poaching would also be possible if a reference genetic database of the natural populations is available.

Molecular genetics studies on elephants’ date back to 1990s. Micro satellite markers have been the preferred choice and have played a major role in ecological, evolutionary and conservation research on elephants over the past 20 years.

However, technical constraints especially related to the specificity of traditionally developed micro satellite markers have brought to question their application, specifically when degraded samples are utilized for analysis. Therefore, the team analyzed the specificity of 24 sets of micro satellite markers frequently used for elephant molecular work.

“First, we optimized the DNA extraction protocol for elephant dung which can even be used for samples reach the lab within a week’s time because all previous studies depended on fresh dung samples collected less than 24 h time”, the team said.

“Comparative wet lab analysis was done with blood and dung DNA in parallel with in silico work. Our data suggest cross-amplification of unspecific products when field-collected dung samples are utilized in assays. The necessity of Asian elephant specific set of micro satellites and or better molecular techniques are highlighted”, the team pointed out.

The necessity of insilico analysis for testing specificity of SSRs is highlighted for other wild animals, for example, leopards. Nevertheless, the current study suggests that the analysis should extend beyond the human genome especially when dung DNA is used as starting materials. Therefore, the specificity of primers is a critical factor deciding the success of traditional SSR based methods adopted for such analysis.

Based on their study, no primer set out of 24 tested SSRs could be recommended for future work when the elephant dung is used as the starting material. If blood samples are drawn carefully with no human or other contamination, those with no multiple hits in the elephant genome, for example, EMU06 and EMU07 could still be used. As such, results of the previous studies done with elephant dung would be questionable with the evidence gathered from current findings.

“Nevertheless, no one could challenge the past since the revolutionary technologies pawed the path for the success of current studies. However, our results suggest the necessity of revisiting available methods. Alternatively, more specific,” the team stressed.

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PM departs Sri Lanka to participate in the 56th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.

Published

10 hours ago

2026/01/19

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya departed Sri Lanka on this morning (19 January) to participate in the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), to be held in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, from 19 to 23 January 2026.

The World Economic Forum 2026 will be convened under the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue” and will bring together over 3,000 global leaders, including heads of state, government leaders, chief executive officers of leading multinational corporations, policymakers, and technology innovators.

During the visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to hold a series of high-level bilateral meetings with key international leaders, heads of global institutions, and other distinguished dignitaries.

(Prime Minister’s Media Division)

News

Coal scandal: Govt. urged to release lab report

Published

24 hours ago

2026/01/19

Thilina Walpola

Pubudu Jagoda

The government is under mounting pressure to release a foreign laboratory report on the controversial coal consignment imported for the Lakvijaya Power Plant, with the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) accusing the authorities of political interference and tender manipulation.

Speaking to the media after a party meeting in Homagama yesterday, FSP Education Secretary Pubudu Jagoda demanded an immediate explanation for the delay in disclosing the report from a Dutch laboratory, Cotecna, which was commissioned to test samples of the coal stocks in question after doubts were raised about an earlier local laboratory assessment. Jagoda said Cabinet media spokesperson Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa had announced that the report would be submitted by 16 January, but it had yet to be made public.

“The Sri Lankan lab confirmed the coal was substandard and could damage both the environment and power plant machinery. The foreign lab has independently verified the same results, we are told. Yet, political pressure appears to be delaying the release of the report.” He warned that any attempt to issue a false report would eventually be exposed and urged the government and the laboratory to maintain transparency.

SLPP MP D.V. Chanaka told Parliament last week that while 107 metric tonnes of coal were normally required per hour to generate 300 megawatts, but as many as 120 tonnes of newly imported coal were needed to produce the same amount of power due to its lower calorific value. Tests showed the first two shipments had calorific values of 5,600–5,800 kcal/kg, below the required minimum of 5,900 kcal/kg, said.

Jagoda accused the government of tailoring procurement rules to benefit an Indian supplier, citing a drastic reduction in reserve requirements—from one million metric tonnes in 2021 to just 100,000 tonnes in 2025—and alleged previous irregularities by the company, including a 2016 Auditor General finding regarding a rice supply contract and the 2019 suspension of a key agent of the company by the International Cricket Council over match-fixing.

He further criticised systemic manipulation of the coal tender process, including delays in issuing the tender from the usual February-March window to July, and progressively shortening the submission period from six weeks to three, giving an advantage to suppliers with stock on hand.

The Ministry of Energy recently issued an amended tender for 4.5 million metric tonnes of coal for the 2025/26 and 2026/27 periods, following the cancellation of an earlier tender. Jagoda warned that procurement delays and irregularities could trigger coal shortages, higher spot-market purchases, increased electricity costs, and potential power cuts if hydropower falls short.

Jagoda called for urgent investigations into the procurement process, insisting that any mismanagement or corruption should not be passed on to the public.Denying any wrongdoing, the government has said it is waiting for the lab report.

by Saman Indrajith ✍️

News

Greenland dispute has compelled Europe to acknowledge US terrorising world with tariffs – CPSL

Published

24 hours ago

2026/01/19

Thilina Walpola

Dr Weerasinghe

The Communist Party of Sri Lanka yesterday (18) alleged that the US was terrorising countries with unfair tariffs to compel them to align with its bigot policies.

CPSL General Secretary Dr. G. Weerasinghe said so responding to The Island query regarding European countries being threatened with fresh tariffs over their opposition to proposed US take-over of autonomous Danish territory Greenland.

US President Donald Trump has declared a 10% tariff on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland with effect from 1 February but could later rise to 25% – and would last until a deal was reached. Targeted countries have condemned the US move.

Dr. Weerasinghe pointed out that none of the above-mentioned countries found fault with the US imposing taxes on countries doing trade with Russia and Iran. Now that they, too, had been targeted with similar US tactics, the CP official said, underscoring the pivotal importance of the world taking a stand against Trump’s behaviour.

Referring to the coverage of the Greenland developments, Dr. Weerasinghe said that news agencies quoted UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer as having said that the move was “completely wrong”, while French President Emmanuel Macron called it “unacceptable.

Dr. Weerasinghe said that Sri Lanka, still struggling to cope up with the post-Aragalaya economic crisis was also the target of discriminating US tariff policy. The top CPSL spokesman said that the recent US declaration of an immediate 25% increase in tariff on imports from countries doing business with Iran revealed the prejudiced nature of the US strategy. “Iran is one of our trading partners as well as the US. Threat of US tariffs on smaller countries is nothing but terrorism,” Dr. Weerasinghe said, stressing the urgent need for the issue at hand to be taken up at the UN.

Responding to another query, Dr. Weerasinghe cited the US targeting India over the latter’s trade with Russia as a case in point. He was commenting on the recent reports on India’s Reliance Industries and state-owned refiners sharply cutting crude oil imports from Russia. The CPSL official said that the EU wouldn’t have even bothered to examine the legitimacy of US tariff action if they hadn’t been targeted by the same action.

Perhaps, those who now complain of US threats over the dispute regarding Greenland’s future owed the world an explanation, Dr. Weerasinghe said. The reportage of the abduction of Venezuela’s President and the first lady underscored that the US intervened because it couldn’t bear the Maduro administration doing trade with China and other countries considered hostile to them, Dr. Weerasinghe said.

The CPSL official said that the NPP couldn’t turn a blind eye to what was happening. Just praising the US wouldn’t do Sri Lanka any good, he said, adding that the Greenland development underscored that the US under Trump was not concerned about the well-being of any other country but pursued an utterly one-sided strategy.

The US dealings with the NPP government, particularly the defence MoU should be examined taking into consideration US tariffs imposed on Sri Lanka at the onset of the second Trump administration and ongoing talks with the US, Dr. Weerasinghe.

By Shamindra Ferdinando ✍️