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Safari conflicts: When wild rides meet violent ends

08 Nov 2021

  • An unhealthy cocktail of eager tourists, untrained guides, and hapless animals
BY Sumudu Chamara Sri Lanka is a country gifted with a plethora of natural resources and it is one of the major reasons why foreign tourists prefer to tour Sri Lanka over other countries in the region. Not only beaches and culture, Sri Lankan forests and animals are also considered the best tourist attractions in the region.  However, protecting and maintaining these resources is not just limited to making laws or policies, or building fences and thereby marking protected areas; it is also about creating a favourable environment for animals. Those visiting these areas as well as the authorities have unique responsibilities in this regard, and ensuring that travelling in these areas does not disturb the natural environment that the wild animals prefer is a matter that requires both parties’ (the authorities and the tourists) contribution. During the past few years, several incidents of animals, especially elephants, attacking safari jeeps or tourists, have been reported, and the most recent such incident was reported last Sunday (7), where at least one person died while at least eight others sustained injuries after a safari jeep carrying a group of local tourists toppled over in a wildlife sanctuary located in the Habarana area. According to reports, the incident had taken place as a result of the driver of the safari jeep losing control when he was trying to drive away from a wild elephant that was chasing the vehicle.  Media reports also quoted the Habarana Police as saying that preliminary investigations had revealed that the safari jeep in question had more passengers in the vehicle than the maximum capacity at the time of the incident. Speaking in this regard, Biodiversity Conservation and Research Circle (BCRC) Convenor Supun Lahiru Prakash said that even though the occurrence of wild animals attacking safari jeeps carrying tourists is rare in Sri Lanka, attention has to be paid to such incidents in order to ensure the safety of both tourists and wild animals. However, due to the adverse consequences such incidents can lead to, regardless of the likelihood, attention needs to be paid to raising awareness among safari jeep drivers and tourists about the behaviours of wild animals, while also encouraging them to take more precautionary measures. “Overall, wild animals attacking tourists or safari jeeps carrying tourists happens in almost all countries; however, they are becoming less frequent. In addition to such incidents within national parks or similar protected and/or restricted forest areas, similar human-wild animal encounters have been reported from areas where roads go through forest areas. However, in the Sri Lankan context, such attacks happening when a tourist is travelling with a tourist guide or a safari driver is rare,” he explained. He added that close interactions with wild animals living freely is part and parcel of going on safaris to watch wild animals and that some tourists actually expect very close interactions similar to attacks with wild animals, and that such close interactions may sometimes lead to aggressive encounters that go beyond control. “However, sometimes, the behaviour of safari jeep drivers and tourists provokes wild animals to attack or act in an aggressive manner. Driving too fast in areas where wild animals live freely and making unnecessary noises are common acts that can provoke wild animals. Steps need to be taken to stop such acts, and the managements of national parks or the relevant forest areas have the main responsibility in this connection. Raising awareness among tourists and safari jeep drivers and taking legal action can reduce the incidence of such incidents. Animals being provoked due to such situations caused by human actions should certainly be stopped, because they are not incidents animals usually have to deal with in a natural setting. The successful management of attacks by wild animals or close interactions such as an animal chasing a safari jeep depends on the safari jeep driver’s experience and competence in handling such situations promptly, and such skills need to be improved. Sometimes, those working as safari jeep drivers have had no experience, knowledge, or training about managing these kinds of practical matters pertaining to their job.” He also raised concerns about the lack of formal training for safari jeep drivers, adding that the Wildlife Conservation Department (DWC), however, conducts training sessions sometimes. He added that such training sessions have been held in areas such as Minneriya and Kawudulla, and that participants received a certificate as well after successful completion of the training.  “However, most of those programmes focus on improving their language skills, and therefore, including a new component with a focus on improving their knowledge and skills in order to prepare them to prevent accidents involving wild animals, would be extremely important,” Prakash added. He also noted that in a context where animals’ behaviour cannot be predicted and interactions with wild animals in an area where they can roam freely cannot be completely prevented, what can be done is taking precautions to minimise the incidence of such incidents. These precautions, according to him, could be as simple as not getting too close to the animals, not engaging in acts that have a potential to provoke animals to attack, and always adhering to the instructions and guidelines issued by the relevant authorities. DWC Director General Chandana Sooriyabandara was not reachable for comment on the DWC’s stance with regard to these incidents. The Yala National Park’s website mentions several acts tourists should refrain from, namely, feeding the animals, using cameras with flashes, smoking, allowing mobile phones to ring, consuming food in locations other than in those dedicated for that purpose, bringing food items that have a strong smell, using drugs, bringing weapons, touching or picking up any object from the park, and staying in the park after dark (closing time). It says that violating the laws imposed concerning travelling in the park may be punishable with a fine and/or a prison term. Other recommended preparations include researching about the wildlife and the park the traveller is planning to visit; acting responsibly and refraining from encouraging the trekker or guide to break the law; and sticking to designated areas and routes.  With regard to dealing with incidents of animal attacks, it said: “When you enter a national wildlife park, you accept the risks involved. While animal attacks are rare, you must remember that they can happen. Animals are highly unpredictable, temperamental, and may easily be provoked or spring to action without a warning. They are known to guard their herds and territories, with behaviour different from one species to another. Elephants pose the highest risk while other predators may pose dangers at close range. In case of an emergency, remind yourself to be calm and intently listen to the instructions of your trekker or guide. If you are on your own, remain quiet, cut off the vehicle’s engine, and do not leave the vehicle at all. In extremely dangerous situations, your trekker or guide may ask you to put the foot to the pedal; remember to keep calm and think rationally. Loud noise should be made only if the trekker or guide says so or when no other solution is in the offing, such as in the face of a violent, persistent attack, which is extremely remote and unlikely. Your trekker or guide is trained for any eventuality and will take you out of harm’s way. If you don’t have a trekker or guide, call for help if you need assistance if you are lost or need urgent help.” However, safety is not always or completely in the hands of safari jeep drivers, and tourists too have a great responsibility regarding their own safety and the wild animals’ wellbeing. The Sri Lanka-based tourist information centre, Love Sri Lanka, outlines dos and don’ts for tourists travelling in national parks.  Among them are refraining from getting too close to animals or encouraging the safari jeep driver to take the traveller closer to an animal (if such an act can invade the animal’s space), and thereby respecting their space and privacy; refraining from taking food into such a park because the smell of food, especially cooked food and fruits, can attract animals towards the safari jeep; refraining from leaving any litter; refraining from feeding any animals as it can encourage wild animals to become dependent on humans for food, leading to a higher risk of animal and human conflict; refraining from playing music or making any loud noises as silence can prevent animals from running away while some music may have a high frequency which can be painful for the animals sensitive ears; refraining from driving too fast within a park and refraining from straying from the designated road as it can be damaging to the animals, environment, and tourists; refraining from using cell phones; and refraining from smoking or consuming alcohol within a park, especially if it is not possible to properly dispose of cigarette butts. With regard to the things that are advisable, it said, talking with the park ranger and getting the necessary information from them; avoiding a spot if it looks very crowded due to practical difficulties in making the trip a success and due to the possibility that the congestion can scare off the animals; maintaining silence, at least in the presence of an animal; and always having the necessary equipment such as binoculars and camera, are recommended. According to the guidelines issued by the non-governmental organisation Arrive Alive with regard to safety during safaris, there are a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration by safari jeep drivers or travellers driving their own vehicle in an area where wild animals are allowed to roam freely. Among them are, travelling only in a vehicle that is well serviced and roadworthy; inquiring from rangers and the management at the reserve about the roads and whether the vehicle is capable of travelling on those roads; refraining from ‘testing’ the capabilities of the vehicle and avoiding driving where it is not possible to see the surface of the road; informing others of where the travellers is planning to travel to and of an expected time of return (before beginning the safari); driving in a convoy; remaining on the paths at all times and refraining from leaving them; expecting roads to be narrow with few overtaking opportunities; being vigilant about varying road conditions, changes in the road surface, sharp corners or crests, which may reduce visibility, and adjusting the speed in accordance with those conditions; being extremely patient when sharing the road with other visitors and wildlife; reducing the speed to the advised limits; being aware of the impact of the changing weather on the road surface and surrounding environment and drive accordingly by reducing speed and using lights appropriately; being vigilant about fog, especially at dawn and at dusk, which can obscure the driver’s vision and can require even slower speeds; when driving, staying in the vehicle at all times, and refraining from getting out of the vehicles unless at a designated safe place; not relying on observations alone (when it comes to checking the presence of animals), and being vigilant about predators that can mix with the environment; taking note of animals’ behaviour when the traveller is close to an animal and is observing it, and moving away from the animal in the event it looks agitated in any way, or makes mock runs at the traveller, or stares and paces up and down; and when dealing with an elephant, maintaining the position with the engine of the vehicle turned off, and refraining from restarting the engine until the animal leaves. As the guidelines issued by various parties point out, the responsibility of not disturbing the peace within areas where animals live freely and not provoking animals to attack or act aggressively lies with tour guides and safari jeep drivers, as well as tourists. However, at times, it is the travellers’ requests that encourage tour guides and safari jeep drivers to engage in risky behaviour such as driving vehicles too close to animals to touch or feed them, and therefore, travellers have a bigger responsibility to not encourage them to do so, and/or prevent them from doing so. Moreover, taking travellers to see wild animals is a dangerous task that requires a great deal of patience and knowledge, and ensuring that tour guides and safari jeep drivers have these qualities, is the responsibility of the authorities.


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