Sri Lanka is observing World Elephant Day today (12) against the backdrop of mounting concerns over the survival of wild elephants and the continuing loss of human lives in encounters between people and wildlife.
The Ministry of Environment has warned that expanding human activity is placing growing pressure on elephant habitats. According to the Ministry, years of development without adequate planning have disrupted established elephant corridors and migration paths, affecting both ecosystems and biodiversity.
The scale of the crisis has also been highlighted by environmental groups. Hemantha Withanage, Chairperson of the Centre for Environmental Justice, said more than 400 elephants are killed in Sri Lanka each year, while the human-elephant conflict claims nearly 200 human lives annually.
According to Withanage, 180 elephant deaths and 56 human fatalities have already been reported this year.
He said around 75 of the elephant deaths recorded so far were linked to human actions. These included approximately 30 deaths caused by gunfire, 23 from electrocution and 19 involving explosives commonly known as ‘hakka patas’.
Withanage also questioned existing estimates of the country’s wild elephant population. While earlier figures had placed the population at around 5,000, he said a recent wildlife survey found that the number had surpassed 7,000.
He noted that the conflict is becoming increasingly difficult to contain, with human settlements and elephant habitats overlapping across more than 40% of Sri Lanka’s land area.
The Centre for Environmental Justice has proposed a systematic programme aimed at addressing the escalating conflict, with Withanage calling for the implementation of such measures.
The issue was brought into sharp focus again last evening (11), when a 43-year-old man was killed in a wild elephant attack in Ambanpola.
According to police, the man had entered his paddy field to drive away wild elephants that had moved into the area when he was attacked.
The victim, who was a resident of Ambanpola, died following the incident, while police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
As Sri Lanka marks World Elephant Day, the latest figures and incidents underscore the growing challenge of protecting the country’s elephant population while reducing the danger faced by communities living alongside them.
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