Elephant experts and Wildlife Department officials yesterday took exception to a statement made by Minister of Agriculture, Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Mahinda Amaraweera’s on the elephant population statistics here. The ministry quoting the Department said that Sri Lanka’s wild elephant population had topped 7,000.

Department officials however stressed that they believed the number was 6,000.Biodiversity Conservation and Research Circle of Sri Lanka Convener Supun Lahiru Prakash, who is also an authority on Sri Lankan elephants said, “I don’t know the basis on which the DWC has said the number of elephants has increased to 7,000 in Sri Lanka.

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