Sri Lanka Railways Introduces New Speed Regulations to Safeguard Wild Elephants

Colombo, March 3 (NationPress) Sri Lanka Railways informed on Monday that it will introduce new speed regulations and updated night train timetables in zones vulnerable to elephant crossings to avert frequent train-elephant collisions.

The Department of Railways stated that the updated timetable will commence on March 7, 2025, indicating that trains will now operate outside peak elephant movement hours to reduce risks, with speed limits imposed in high-risk areas.

Officials recognized that the new measures could lead to possible delays, but stressed that lowering train speeds is essential to protect Sri Lanka's wildlife.

Collisions between trains and elephants are common in certain regions of the country. On February 20, a train incident in Gal Oya resulted in the deaths of seven wild elephants.

Recently, the Lankan government announced intentions to create five elephant corridors in its north-central province to mitigate human-elephant conflicts.

The north-central province has recorded the highest incidents of human-elephant conflicts in comparison to other areas, as reported by state media.

Of the province's 29 Divisional Secretariat Divisions, 27 have encountered a significant rise in human-elephant conflicts in recent years, according to the report.

To tackle this issue, authorities have resolved to establish five elephant corridors. Additional initiatives include preventing encroachment in protected areas, managing elephant habitats through grassland cultivation, and rehabilitating water tanks within conservation zones, the state media reported.

The human-elephant conflict represents a grave concern in Sri Lanka.

In 2024, 388 wild elephants and 155 individuals lost their lives as a result of these conflicts, based on official statistics.

The Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) in Sri Lanka is a critical and complex challenge that significantly impacts the conservation of the endangered Asian elephant.

This conflict has historical roots and has intensified due to various factors, including poorly conceived development projects, deforestation, habitat loss, fragmentation of elephant habitats, population growth, urban sprawl, shifting land use, inadequate electric fencing, and ineffective forest and wildlife management practices.

The conflict has led to economic losses for farmers, human injuries, and fatalities, making it essential to devise effective solutions.

Despite a long-standing commitment to wildlife conservation in Sri Lanka, existing strategies have been inadequate in alleviating the effects of HEC.

The national policy on the conservation and management of wild elephants in Sri Lanka (2018) aims to confine elephants to Elephant Conservation Areas (ECAs) and Managed Elephant Reserves (MERs), which has proven to be an ineffective approach, according to the Xinhua news agency.

Besides the loss of over 400 elephants each year, a tragic event occurred in 2019 when seven elephants from the same herd were discovered deceased at the Hiriwadunna reserve in Habarana, capturing immediate public attention.

Legal measures were initiated to investigate the case and seek justice.