DODOMA, April 3 -- THE government has intensified efforts to curb destructive elephant raids by expanding rapid-response centres in wildlife-prone regions, Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba told Parliament yesterday, while ruling out proposals to kill elephants as a populationcontrol measure.

Dr Nchemba was responding during the Prime Ministers Questions session to a query from Nachingwea MP Fadhili Liwaka (CCM), who said crop destruction and fatalities caused by elephants remain severe in several districts despite ongoing mitigation efforts.

Mr Liwaka asked whether the government would consider traditional methods, including controlled killings, to reduce elephant numbers without violating international conservation laws, noting that meas...