COLOMBO, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) said on Wednesday that it has introduced the hotline '1987' to receive complaints from people regarding unauthorized electric fences and lines since they are responsible for the deaths of wild elephants.
The CEB, which is empowered to generate, transmit and distribute electricity in Sri Lanka, said in a statement that 474 wild elephants died due to human activities last year, and 50 of them were caused by unauthorized electric fences and lines.
The CEB said public participation is important to protect wild elephants that have become a tourist attraction in the country.
Earlier, the Sri Lankan government announced plans to construct 1,000 kilometers of fences in 2024 to prevent elephants from entering human-populated areas. ■
