The
South Asian culture does place the elephant, way above
other beasts. It is a cultural trait we share, each
nation attaching special significance to the elephant
and giving the species unique cultural value.
Yet there are some attendant problems. One is the
deep-rooted tradition of gifting elephants to temples.
Elsewhere in this newspaper today we record the
harrowing ordeal of two baby elephants whisked out of
their Pinnawela home to satisfy the Chief Executive’s
desire to offer them to the Malwatte and Asgiriya
Chapters — true to custom!
And a few weeks ago, it was about offering ivory
again to some Buddhist temples but criticism is taboo
and often frowned upon for ‘questioning culture.’
I have always felt and even advocated that some of
these traditions should necessarily be re-evaluated. For
example, separating baby elephants from the cow (to make
a grand gift of the same) is not only mean but also
illegal. But as a nation, are we even willing to debate
this issue honestly from an animal rights perspective?
Under serious threat
Despite our preoccupation, many perhaps don’t even
know that our elephant population is under serious
threat.
It’s given that man’s greed for ivory is phenomenal.
But ivory poaching is not among the main causes for Sri
Lanka’s depleting elephant population. The beasts are
killed either by electrocution or by gunshot injuries.
To boot, natural wounds and other injuries also cause
their deaths.
According to environmental experts, the tusker
population in Sri Lanka is around 7% of the total
elephant population.
It is also difficult to record correct statistics on
elephants. Those living in scrub forests are not easily
counted. They also migrate regularly and are often
suspected of being counted on more than one occasion
during a census.
Authorities believe that the actual figure could
range between 3,160 and 4,400.
Then there are the tamed or domestic elephants. They
live in 14 districts of the island in the care of
temples, landlords and other owners.
A key reason
The tusks of Sri Lankan elephants are generally
short, though broad and curvy when compared with the
African elephant’s thin, long and protruding tusk — a
key reason for the African elephant to be hunted.
Officials at the Department of Wildlife Conservation
(DWLC) confirm elephants here are not killed mainly for
their tusks. While electrocution, gun shot injuries and
normal injuries are important causes of death, there are
three other ancillary causes for their deaths —
pesticides, accidents and natural causes.
Welikanda is elephant terrain. It is here that man
and beast conflicts are significantly high. It is in
Welikanda that the highest number of elephant deaths was
recorded in 2007, DWLC statistics show.
Importantly, deaths caused by electrocution did not
mean deaths caused by "electric fences" as is generally
believed. These deaths were caused by high-tension wires
maintained by plantation owners and farmers.
Extremely susceptible
The Sri Lankan elephant is extremely susceptible to
trap guns set up by poachers as well as iron nails —
twin causes that assure painful deaths. Besides all
these, pesticides cause food poisoning, making their end
painful.
What is not paid much attention to is the simple fact
that vegetation loss has directly impacted on our
elephant population. This is caused by indiscriminate
forest clearing by humans for settlement and cultivation
purposes. It has also caused serious patterns of
migration to highlands, as fodder has also become a
serious concern for the jumbos.
Research reveals that elephants are largely
restricted to lowlands especially in the dry zone while
a small population survives in the peak wilderness
areas. With depleting forest cover, the tendency is to
migrate to highlands as a simple survival mechanism.
Human elephant conflict
During the past 20 years, the human elephant conflict
had become a serious threat to the very existence of
elephants. These conflicts not only bring death upon the
gentle giants but lead to serious health issues.
A DWLC official explained: "Not all elephants die due
to various tactics adopted by humans to drive elephants
away. But often these tactics cause various injuries
that could leave a permanent impact on the beasts’
health such as wounds and regular poisoning in small
doses, being rendered deaf due to use of explosives or
being shot in the ear, or limb impairment which
eventually culminate in the impairing of their health in
a permanent manner. Their survival skills immediately
reduce and some even lead to death," he said.
Thus, the DWLC believes that humans have
been expanding their occupation of land and encroached
into elephant habitats.
With growing human settlements,
officials feel there is imprudence among farmers when
clearing elephant terrain for their various cultivation
projects.
"They actually choose to grow sugar cane
in areas where there is a significant elephant
population. Sugar grows in a particular climate and this
is also the one that suits elephants. The only option is
to carefully locate settlements and plantations than run
into severe conflicts with elephants," said one
environmentalist who has been studying the patterns of
elephant deaths for a period of time.
With the expansion of human settlements,
it is important to note that the elephants’ appetite as
well as its size could destroy an entire cultivation
within one day. "That must be borne in mind before
establishing settlements and cultivations," DWLC
officials say.
The latest available data on elephant
deaths categorised according to causes is from the year
2003. According to the DWLC survey, 47 were killed due
to gunshot injuries, 34 due to unidentified causes, and
10 by electrocution, eight due to grievous wounds, eight
by tetanus while one elephant each died due to falling
into an agri well and poisoning.
Elephants are also prone to fatal rail
accidents on the Colombo-Trincomalee route. The
identified fatal spots are Minneriya and Habarana where
large herds tend to gently cross the main road at night.
Some 150-160 elephants are killed each
year and there are special initiatives undertaken to
prevent these deaths. One is to assign a DWLC official
to travel in the Colombo-Trincomalee train to warn the
engine driver to take special precautions while driving
through elephant terrain. There are special horns and a
new lighting system all for their benefit. It is truly
hoped that these measures work simply for the protection
of Sri Lanka’s dwindling elephant population.
