Pallekagama continue to suffer elephant invasions: Countless requests for an electric fence deems futile

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Pallekagama in Anuradhapura is one of the villages which is constantly at the mercy of encroaching wild elephants and according to the locals, this issue is being experienced for more than a decade. In tears, the locals lamented as their homes and crops are destroyed by wild elephants on a regular basis. Yesterday(August 25) several villagers were left homeless after a wild elephant invaded the village and destroyed a number of houses. They said they continue to live with uncertainty about their future. According to the locals, their pleas to the local wildlife office simply fall on deaf ears. News 1st also uncovered the absence of an electric fence around the village to keep off the wild elephants and locals say they've been requesting one for many years, but they never received a positive response. Following News 1st's visit to the area, the Local Wild Life Office had issued several crackers to be used to scare wild elephant, however, the local question if that alone would be sufficient to protect their lives.