7M persons to take part in wild animal census

By Naalir Jamaldeen

Nearly 7 million people are expected to take part in the census scheduled to be conducted on the wild animal population on 15 March, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:05 a.m. The required sheets have already been distributed to almost every household across all Grama Niladhari divisions in the country, said G.G.V. Shyamali, Additional Director General of Development at the Department of Agriculture, on Friday (14).

Shyamali also made an appeal to the people of the country to extend their cooperation and support in conducting the census, taking it as their national responsibility. This initiative has been launched to find a sustainable solution for the crop destruction caused by wild animals.

She mentioned that if anyone has not received the census sheet so far, they are asked to write the name of the animal they saw within the scheduled time and hand it over to the respective Grama Niladhari.

Addressing the media at the Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation Ministry premises, Shyamali stated that more than 40,000 Government Officers would be deployed for the effort to conduct the census.

She also pointed out that the census sheets have been printed based on information provided by the Department of Census and Statistics and advised the public to provide accurate data on wild animals, avoiding the fabrication of numbers.

Shyamali noted that special arrangements had been made for areas covering large stretches of land, such as public places and Sacred Sites, with the mediation of District Secretaries of the respective districts.

She further stated, this would be the first island-wide census on animals, focusing solely on wild animals that roam outside the forest environment.

The census will cover four types of animals: Red monkeys, toque monkeys, giant squirrels, and peacocks, across all parts of the country, regardless of whether these animals are present. If there are no threats from wild animals in a particular area, or if these animals are not observed, this must be clearly indicated on the sheet, according to Shyamali.

Shyamali also mentioned that wild animals can now be found in agricultural areas and even on the outskirts of cities, especially in Districts such as Kurunegala, Kegalle, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Matale and Matara.

An 80 per cent public response is expected for this census. The collected data will be fully analysed, and necessary arrangements will be made to address the issue, she added.