Colombo: Over 3,000 wild elephants have been killed in Sri Lanka's human-elephant conflict from 2015 to 2024, alongside 1,190 human fatalities, according to a statement made by a government minister on Thursday.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Minister of Environment Dammika Patabendi addressed parliament, revealing that 1,466 elephant deaths occurred between 2015 and 2019, with an additional 2,011 fatalities recorded from 2020 to 2024. Human casualties stood at 456 between 2015 and 2019, rising to 734 from 2020 to 2024.

Minister Patabendi emphasized that while solving the human-elephant conflict will require time, the government is committed to allocating adequate resources in the upcoming budget to tackle the issue effectively. Measures under consideration include the construction of electric fences, reopening of blocked elephant corridors, and enhancing food availability in forest habitats.

Patabendi assured lawmakers of the government's commitment to implementing these strategies to mitigate the impact of the conflict on both humans and elephants.