World Elephant Day – 12th August 2024 – By
Source:- linkedin
One elephant a day: Human – Elephant conflict deepens as death toll rises
Today is World Elephant Day, a global celebration of what we think is nature’s masterpiece–the elephant. Whether it is an Asian elephant, African Forest elephant or African Savannah elephant, ALL elephants are incredible and important to our world.
With only 40,000-50,000 left in the world, Asian elephants have surviving populations in just 13 countries. Known for their smaller ears, rounded backs, and single “finger” on the ends of their trunks, Asian elephants have lived alongside humans for thousands of years. In fact 1/3 of Asian elephants in the world live in some form of managed care whether in protected preserves, National Parks, or in human care. Habitat loss and fragmentation, competition for resources, and the resulting human-wildlife conflict is threatening their survival. In some regions it is predicted that Asian elephants could go regionally extinct within the next 10 years.
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Ravi Corea, founder and president of the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society (SLWCS) said he fears Sri Lanka might be on track to set a new unwanted record for the highest number of elephant deaths in a single year.
Elephant deaths last year hit an all-time high of 433, while human fatalities from these conflicts were also a record 145.
Methods to mitigate HEC in Sri Lanka..
Common sense and a workable solution to the HEC, according to Dr. Pilapitiya would be a fence being where the protection is needed – at the boundary of developed areas.
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With 44% of Sri Lanka seeing humans and elephants sharing the same landscape, he urges that the way forward from conflict to co-existence is clear. An electric fence should not be a boundary demarcation, but one that keeps humans and elephants separate. These fences should be on ecological boundaries and support from the people, politicians and other government agencies is essential for the DWC to implement this workable answer to the HEC.
He suggests ‘community-based fences’ and ‘seasonal agricultural fences’, while reiterating that currently there are around 70 villages that are thus protected and co-exist with elephants in relative harmony, largely supported by CCR and DWC. This model has been tried, tested and perfected over 15 years by CCR.
Elaborating on ‘seasonal paddy field fencing’, he says after the harvest is gathered, transported and stored till the next season, the fences around the paddy fields come off, allowing the elephants to feed on the crop residue which is of no use to the farmer. Currently, there are around 25 paddy tracts or more thus protected and there is human-elephant co-existence.
“Living with elephants or co-existence is achievable, if we all work towards it,” adds Dr. Pilapitiya.
