The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has introduced a hotline for the members of the public to inform on illegal tapping into power lines which it said is an effort to conserve the country’s wild elephants that fall victim to unlawfully erected electrical fences.Accordingly, the public is requested to provide any information regarding illegal tapping into power lines to the state-owned electricity supplier’s hotline 1987.In a statement, CEB’s media spokesperson Eng.

Noel Priyantha highlighted that Sri Lanka has recorded a staggering 474 deaths of wild elephants in 2023, out of which at least 50 were reported to have died after being electrocuted by illegal power lines.Raising concerns about the rapidly receding number of wild elephants in Sri Lanka, he underscored the importance of conserving this endangered species.The spokesperson said the CEB has already taken measures to prevent illegal tapping into power lines and sought public assistance in its efforts to curb wild elephant deaths.