Bravery in the Wild: The Unsung Heroes of Wildlife Conservation- By Risidra Mendis
Source:Ceylontoday
They patrol the thick, dangerous jungles at night, not knowing what they will encounter. They work day and night when required, to save animals with gunshot wounds and those who are seriously injured when they fall into mud pits and wells.
Poachers with guns and those engaged in illegal activities are just a few of the dangers they face while carrying out their duties as Wildlife Rangers, Game Guards, and other wildlife officers.
They leave behind their families and put their lives at risk when duty calls. Some return alive, while others die in the line of duty. Most often, the names of these wildlife officers are not even known to many, except for a news item mentioning that such an incident occurred somewhere in the country.
What happens in the dark, silent jungles at night and during the day is only known to these officers, who live a hard and dangerous life. Only they understand how tough the task ahead is and how much they must sacrifice to get the job done. But they do not give up. They put up a good fight to save animals from agonising deaths in areas where no one else dares to tread.
Author Kurt Caswell says, “A park ranger is a protector. You protect the land from the people, the people from the land, the people from each other, and the people from themselves.”
World Ranger Day recognises the contributions of rangers and also highlights their sacrifices. The day commemorates rangers killed or injured in the line of duty.
World Ranger Day
World Ranger Day is celebrated around the world on 31 July each year, on the anniversary of the founding of The International Ranger Federation (IRF), an organisation that supports the work of rangers as the key protectors of parks and conservation.
“The All Island Wild Life Junior Officer Union (AIWLJOU) commenced around 2003 and is one of the most powerful unions in the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC),” Chairman AIWLJOU U.J. Senerath told Ceylon Today.
“I do not think DWC officials even know that there is a World Rangers Day, as it is not on their list of events. We work 24 hours a day in remote areas with very limited facilities. But we are not appreciated for the hard work we do. We do this for the sake of the animals,” Senerath said.
He added that they do the work of five people, and if they do not do this, it is the wild animals who will suffer. “These animals cannot talk, they cannot say what they want, and they cannot fight for their rights. It is the Wildlife Rangers who suffer the most. Wildlife Rangers have to work in areas outside of their range. We are not allowed to work in the districts where we live. Even if we request to work in areas close to our homes, we are not given permission,” Senerath explained.
He noted that Wildlife Rangers cover a vast area in their work but have only one motorcycle for transport. “Only two officers can travel on a motorcycle. If we have to go for a big operation, we have to request transport from the DWC or from another Government organisation. Sometimes, by the time we get the vehicle and reach the place where the incident occurred, it is too late. Our officers sometimes do not go home for weeks and months because we are committed to our jobs,” Senerath said.
Alms Giving
In 2016, an alms giving was held at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya in remembrance of all rangers who died while on duty, but they could not continue this meritorious deed thereafter.
For the first time in the country, a research paper, ‘Defenders of Wildlife Conservation in Sri Lanka: A Cautionary Note for the Future of Rangers,’ was released by the Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, China; Supun. L. Prakash of Biodiversity Conservation and Research Circle; Former Deputy Director (Law Enforcement), Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), Gamini V. Samarakoon; Lecturer/Research Associate, Department of Forestry and Wildland Resources, Humboldt State University, USA, Buddhika D. Madurapperuma; Research Scientist, expert committee member IUCN National Red List programmes and Nature Exploration and Education Team, Suranjan Karunarathna; and Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Bridgewater State University, USA, Thilina D. Surasinghe.
“Since the establishment of the DWC in October 1949, there have been casualties in the line of duty among field officers of the DWC. We examine the nature and the conditions that led to the demise of these field officers whilst on duty. From October 1949 to December 2020, at least 80 have been killed and one reported missing while on duty. The major cause of death was terrorist attacks, followed by encounters with free-ranging Asian Elephants, and confrontations with wildlife criminals,” Prakash explained.
Providing physical protection to wildlife is among the most high-risk professions in the conservation sector, as it is directly associated with the prevention of wildlife crimes, he said.
In Sri Lanka, the DWC is the primary Government agency responsible for the long-term conservation and protection of biological diversity. Our study will help identify proactive interventions to minimise risk associated with field officers and improve their career standards,” Prakash explained.
Risky Circumstances
He said Wildlife Rangers – also known as game/wildlife wardens, forest/game guards, field enforcement officers, environmental police officers – are wildlife professionals tasked with safeguarding natural, cultural, and historical heritage, and protecting the rights and prosperity of current and future generations with respect to natural resources.
“They provide a variety of services, including law enforcement, to prevent environmentally harmful activities, maintain a safe and secure environment for humans and wildlife, monitor wildlife and their habitats, manage environmental risks, and empower and engage with local communities, collaborate with key stakeholders of conservation, and assist with tourism, education, and public awareness,” Prakash said.
Field officers of the DWC deployed in remote wilderness have encountered exigent and risky circumstances, sometimes resulting in deaths while on duty, he said. “The DWC does not maintain a single database on officer deaths. We examined multiple sources and unpublished reports (incidental reports, personnel files) produced by the DWC to amalgamate data on casualties. Through these interviews, we clarified the circumstances of the field officer casualties, particularly with respect to the cause and location of deaths when that information was not available from the archives,” Prakash said.
Their research states that nearly two-thirds of the fatalities occurred inside protected areas (59 deaths), while only a third (22 deaths) occurred outside protected areas. Most casualties within protected areas (58 cases) happened in national parks, while only one case was reported from a sanctuary. Less than a fifth (18 deaths) of all casualties were reported within the intermediate zone, while casualties within the dry zone were nearly four times greater (63 deaths).
“Terrorist attacks were the leading cause of death, followed by Asian Elephant attacks (Elephas maximus) and encounters with wildlife criminals. The North-central (Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts) and Eastern administrative provinces (Ampara district) suffered a substantially greater proportion of mortality (57 deaths) than the rest of the country. The greatest number of casualties was reported when 24 officers were massacred by terrorists at the headquarters of Wilpattu National Park (NP) on 14 May 1985,” Prakash explained.
Terrorist Attacks
In the same year, another officer died in a misfire while on foot patrol in Ruhuna National Park, and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were solely responsible for the terrorist attack.
“Terrorist attacks were the leading cause of death, followed by Asian Elephant attacks (Elephas maximus) and encounters with wildlife criminals. The North-central (Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts) and Eastern administrative provinces (Ampara district) suffered a substantially greater proportion of mortality (57 deaths) than the rest of the country. The greatest number of casualties was reported when 24 officers were massacred by terrorists at the headquarters of Wilpattu National Park (NP) on 14 May 1985,” Prakash explained.
Terrorist Attacks
In the same year, another officer died in a misfire while on foot patrol in Ruhuna National Park, and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were solely responsible for the terrorist attack.
“The geographic location of Wilpattu National Park (North-central Sri Lanka), where LTTE operations were concentrated, and its greater area (largest National Park in Sri Lanka, 1,317 km²) could have contributed to the severity of these attacks. After the 1985 massacre incident, fatalities due to terrorist attacks were also reported in 1988, 1989, 2006, and 2007. However, terrorist operations have ceased in all parts of the country since 2009, and field officers have resumed their duties as usual since then,” Prakash said.
He said deaths resulting from elephant attacks have increased in recent decades, which highlights that Human–Elephant Conflict (HEC) is a serious wildlife management issue. “It is the leading cause of elephant deaths in Sri Lanka. The DWC is the prime State agency responsible for both elephant conservation and the management of HEC, which requires officers to care for injured elephants, translocate problematic elephants, and conduct elephant drives, predisposing them to elephant attacks. Elephants aside, deaths resulting from attacks by other wildlife remain minimal,” Prakash explained.
While terrorism no longer threatens Sri Lankan field officers, Prakash said, Asian Elephant attacks and wildlife criminals are emerging as major causes of death. “The existing approved cadre of the DWC is limited to 1,200, while only 750 officers are currently employed in field duties. The maximum efficiency of the field staff can only be achieved by creating a secure working environment, increasing the total cadre, and filling the existing vacancies to enhance their collective capacity. We recommend a comprehensive, island-wide assessment to quantify additional labour inputs as the present cadre is evidently insufficient to manage the intricate issues of wildlife conservation and management,” Prakash said.
“The first wildlife officer to die while on duty was Wildlife Guard K. Manikrala, who was attacked by a bear in Wilpattu NP on 4 July 1957. The last to die was Wildlife Guard S. Sridharan, who was attacked by an elephant in Wellawali, Ampara on 24 August 2023. Thirty-seven wildlife officers died from terrorist attacks, 23 from complications from HEC, 10 from gunshots by poachers, three from assault by poachers and illegal gem miners, two from misfire, two from motor accidents, two were stabbed to death by poachers, one from a bear attack, one from a crocodile attack, one from a wild buffalo attack, one from an accident, one drowned, and one disappeared,” Prakash said.
Wildlife Officer Training
He said science-based formal education should also be incorporated into officer training. For example, resolving HEC might require officers trained in megafauna conservation, wildlife behaviour, and human dimensions.
“Given the risk exposure, the remunerations presently available for field officers should be revised to include better medical insurance and financial support in case of long-term injury on duty. The infrastructure in field offices should also be reinforced with 4WD vehicles, modern firearms, other equipment, technological applications (wildlife tracking systems, cyber infrastructure for information sharing), training facilities, and standard living quarters. Risks encountered by field officers will change both with time and across geographies. Casualties among field officers, other serious injuries they suffer, and novel threats they encounter (such as emerging zoonotic infections) should be documented and explored in order to plan corrective actions,” Prakash explained.
DWC Director General Chandana Sooriyabandara told Ceylon Today that the existing wildlife cadre is sufficient to manage wildlife issues. “The Department vacancies were never filled 100 per cent at any given time. Rangers should manage with the resources they have and get help from other Government institutions when required. Due to COVID, the Government has imposed restrictions. Due to cost-cutting, additional resources cannot be approved, such as transport,” Sooriyabandara said.
