Activists protest the killing of elephants on Colombo

Protesters are gathering in large numbers in front of the Colombo Fort Railway Station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on October 18, 2023, to protest against the recent deaths of elephants in the wild. They are urging for stricter laws against elephant killing and for the protection of elephant habitats and processes. The protesters are advising the government to develop a national action plan to improve the conflict between humans and elephants. They are charging that the human-elephant conflict has recently intensified, with incidents reported in eight provinces, 19 districts, and 131 divisional secretariat divisions. The protesters are also urging authorities to ban the use of jaw exploding traps (hakka patas) among villagers, which have killed 651 wild elephants in recent times.