The End of "The Great Elephant Gathering of Asia" [Sri Lanka].
By Philip Price
The End of "The Great Elephant Gathering" of Sri Lanka.
We interviewed Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya, former Director General of Sri Lanka's Wildlife Conservation, about Minneriya Reservoir. Ever since its construction by King Mahasena in 300 AD, this reservoir's "recessional grasses" have provided dry-season forage for up to 500 elephants. It's become one of the greatest wildlife spectacles of the world, yet in only the span of a few years, the Rajapaksa and Serisena administrations have ended two millennia of Sri Lanka's natural heritage.
Lonely Planet called the Great Elephant Gathering of Sri Lanka one of the "Ten Natural Wonders of the World." We have feared that the new Moragahakanda dam and its irrigation scheme would stop the Great Gathering. We were right. By keeping the reservoirs' water at a year-round high and near full level, the grasses are submerged and not available during the critical dry season.
Dr. Sumith has counted only 78 elephants at The Gathering last season, and only 17 in 2021 -- where have the other 400 elephants gone? Those elephants have become scattered and in search of forage and are now raiding farmers fields in the night. This year is seeing a record number of human-caused elephant deaths - more than one per day. It is safe to say that the elephants that were displaced from Minneriya are increasing the incidence of human/elephant conflict and are dying.
The economic impact to the 600 jeep safari operators and multitude of hotels that rely on the Great Gathering's tourism is a disaster yet to unfold.
We must insist that the Rajapaksa administration reverse course and swiftly restore Minneriya to its former glory. It's only a matter of a a simple signature to do so.
Please watch our interview with Dr. Sumith to learn more.
Please click on the photo below or go to: https://www.facebook.com/SavingGanesh.org/videos/220488586727569
1 January 2022 Update
The "Great Elephant Gathering of Asia" is located at Minneriya Reservoir (tank) in Sri Lanka: The invasive Agada plant chokes much of the grasslands that nourish wild elephants. Sri Lanka's Federation of Environmental Organizations - Sri Lanka has successfully rid much of the plants, but this work must be done repeatedly, every dry season.
Of greater concern currently is the irrigation department's choice of maintaining high water levels, year round. Water from the new Moragahakanda Dam is now being used to flood the historic grasslands, even during dry season, when the elephants have habitually gathered here for thousands of years. The elephants are thus scattered into surrounding areas and increasing deadly human/elephant conflict.
The elephant population during the historic Gathering period have plummeted from the typical 400, down to only 17 last year. This Wonder of the Natural World (per Lonely Planet Guides) is gone!
We will have much more to say about this as we are pursuing an in depth study of the issue - weighing out the benefits of an artificially lengthened/strengthened Maha (monsoon) paddy growing season, verses the loss of a $20 million (US) tourism economy that is anchored on the spectacle of the Great Gathering.