The Government has approved the deployment of special military units along high-risk elephant corridors as part of plans to expand the joint ‘Hasthi Sena’ (Elephant Force) operation aimed at protecting Sri Lanka’s wild elephant population and addressing human-elephant conflict.
The proposals were discussed at a meeting held at the Ministry of Environment under the chairmanship of Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody. The Ministry Secretary and senior officers representing the three branches of the Armed Forces also attended.
The ‘Hasthi Sena’ operation is jointly conducted by the Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Armed Forces, with the aim of protecting wild elephants and finding solutions to the growing human-elephant conflict.
During the meeting, authorities agreed to deploy special Army security units along elephant corridors frequently used by solitary elephants and herds with calves. Plans were also discussed to continuously monitor elephant movements in high-risk migration routes and surrounding ecosystems.
Another key focus was strengthening intelligence-led operations against wildlife crimes, particularly the production, distribution and use of hakka-patas, trap guns and illegal firearms.
Authorities also discussed conducting targeted raids to dismantle networks involved in these illegal activities, which pose a serious threat to wild elephant populations.
It was further decided to submit a Cabinet paper to formally expand the ‘Hasthi Sena’ operation under a structured policy and legal framework.
The initiative is intended to strengthen wildlife conservation efforts and establish a more sustainable approach to addressing the escalating human-elephant conflict across the country.
