Steps will be taken to monitor every tusker using a radio collar to ensure their safety, Minister of Sustainable Development and Wildlife, Gamini Jayawickrama Perera said yesterday.
Minister Jayawickrama Perera said that the move will be implemented as soon as possible since there is a dire need to protect tuskers.
“At present we have limited stocks, but we are expecting 40 collars next year. However, monitoring by radio collars is not 100 percent accurate,” he said.
The Minister said that he will be proposing to allocate members of Special Task Force (STF), Police and Triforces, to every wildlife park and sanctuary, to patrol alongside a wildlife officer to capture poachers.
“The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) currently has limited manpower, making additional support necessary. Several parties have suggested a security guard patrolling the movement of tuskers to protect them from poachers. However, this is not practical since elephants roam approximately 30 kilometres a day in the jungle,” he said.