Concerns raised over GPS technology in efforts to relocate elephants (Sri Lanka) Poojathmi Rivithma, Daily Mirror January 7, 2025 The Wildlife Department's plan to use GPS technology to drive wild elephants from areas between Anuradhapura and Wilpattu has faced criticism, with experts arguing that GPS alone is insufficient to move the elephants. However, Supun Lahiru Prakash, a representative from the Biodiversity Conservation and Research Circle, speaking with the Daily Mirror, raised concerns that GPS technology alone is not effective in driving elephants away. Accordingly, Prakash stated that GPS can help only to monitor elephant movements, but it is not sufficient to relocate or deter the animals from specific areas. Elephant drives do not contribute to mitigating human-elephant conflict or elephant conservation, so we should avoid encouraging them through any technology. Meanwhile, the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) reported 385 human deaths last year due to wildlife-related incidents, including encounters with dangerous animals and accidents in natural habitats. The WNPS warned that as human settlements expand into wildlife areas, such interactions are becoming more frequent and dangerous. https://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking-news/Concerns-raised-over-GPS-technology-in-efforts-to-relocate-elephants/108-299605