Sri Lankan airport to get wildlife dept unit to prevent elephant straying

Colombo, Oct 8 (PTI) Sri Lanka's cabinet has approved the establishment of a wildlife department unit at the Mattala international airport in the southern district of Hambantota to prevent the straying of elephants.

The cabinet, which met on Tuesday, noted that the "trespassing of wild jumbos and other fauna into the premises of Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, Hambantota, as well as crossing its access roads, has caused a common threat of damaging the infrastructure facilities of the airport.” The establishment of the wildlife department office is expected to identify elephant attack threats in advance and manage them properly to ensure the airport's security, a cabinet note said.

It will focus on monitoring and managing wildlife movements, preventing attacks, and ensuring the safety of passengers, airport staff, and airport infrastructure.  Mattala was dubbed the world’s quietest airport for its minimal flight movements.

When its construction began in 2009, environmentalists warned that the location was an elephant and migratory bird habitat. PTI CORR GRS GRS GRS