The Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) is a growing problem in Sri Lanka, with 176 people and 470 elephants killed in 2023 – an all-time high. Habitat loss, large-scale development projects and increased interactions between humans and elephants are the main reasons.

It is often claimed that Sri Lanka has the highest density of elephants in the world, with around 7,000 elephants living in the wild, according to the country’s Department of Wildlife. Currently, they are concentrated in the country’s dry zone in the north, east and south-east. The elephants in the central highlands have gone extinct, with just two remaining in the Sinharaja rainforest. 

Traditionally, it was common for farmers to let elephants have access to agricultural land at the end of the harvest season. Nowadays, the scarcity of land and food for both species render this impossible. Instead of a mutual understanding between the two, it has become a fight for survival. 

Farmers and villages believe that elephants have plenty to eat in the thick, dense forests of the protected areas. However, in reality, the opposite is true. “The reason why 44% of Sri Lankan elephants share the land with humans is that nutritious shrubs and grass grow closer to human settlements,” elephant ethologist Dr Sumith Pilapitiya has pointed out on several occasions. 

To mitigate the human-elephant conflict, the government has expanded the electric fencing surrounding the protected areas, but many farmers complain that this method does not work due to poor maintenance. 

Professor Kalinga Padmalal, a senior lecturer in zoology in the Open University of Sri Lanka, says that humans and elephants are constantly fighting for the survival of one species, even if it means the death of the other. 

The human-elephant conflict results in damage to crops and property as well as injuries and deaths on both sides. Villages lack fences to keep elephants away, resulting in many sleepless nights for the locals. Some farmers patrol at night to chase away any elephants that might raid their crops. 

Farmers suffer major economic losses, and many resort to extreme measures to scare the animals away, such as illegal electric fences, home-made ‘jaw bombs’ and homemade explosives. They also use ‘thunder flashes’ (a non-lethal explosive device that produces a loud bang and flash of light) provided by the Department of Wildlife.

Farmers have complained that the law doesn’t apply to government officials who take land designated for elephants, while farmers who are just trying to make a living receive the blame instead. They say that “No one listens to the distress and needs of farmers.” 

Farmers’ personal experiences

Harbingers Magazine spoke to three farmers around Galgamuwa in the Kurunegala district, Sri Lanka to find out their experiences and opinions on the Human Elephant conflict.

Mr Jayasiri (last name withheld for privacy reasons) lives in Ehetuwewa, in Kurunegala district. Although he does not own paddy or chena fields (chena is a traditional farming practice), he grows bananas and corn, and often has to face elephants that raid his garden. He has witnessed people being chased, injured and even killed by elephants on multiple occasions and says he was chased twice. 

“We’ve been facing this problem for around ten years now. Recently, it has reached a new peak,” says Mr Jayasiri. “We can’t even step out of our houses in the mornings or evenings.”

Elephants usually raid crops in the evening, after 10pm, and remain until the morning. Mr Jayasiri explains that if a herd raids the paddy fields once, it is highly likely that they will be stay for a while. 

He believes that deforestation is the biggest reason for HEC. He explains that many people have deeds to parts of the forest, but don’t know the borders of it. Elephants have long since used these lands, so when the owners build electric fences, the elephants lose a part of their homes. He believes the government should reclaim these lands and protect them for the elephants. 

Mr Anura (last name withheld for privacy) is a farmer who lives near the town of Galgamuwa. Like Mr Upul, he has also confronted elephants in both his fields and at home. “Around five people get killed every year,” he said. 

He claims there is a very high chance that you might be injured or even killed if you encounter an elephant while walking. “Around a month ago, a woman was trampled to death while waiting for the bus after work. We’re very scared to go out in the evening or at night,” said Mr Anura. 

He explained that when the elephants are chased away, they destroy everything in their path in the process. While he was talking to Harbingers’, he was also keeping an eye on a herd from his tree house. 

Other villagers mentioned that sometimes elephants can injure domestic animals such as cattle and dogs. 

Harbingers’ also spoke to R.C.D. Yapa who is a wildlife department guide in Yala National Park. He said that elephants are fed by pilgrims visiting Kataragama on the Buttala–Kataragama road, which causes them to start forcefully taking food from vehicles, injuring people in the process. 

Many safari jeep drivers also harass elephants so that tourists can have a “closer look” at the animals, causing them to become more aggressive and to attack or lash out. “I have witnessed this on multiple occasions, where safari jeeps surround herds trying to cross roads,” Mr Yapa said.

Sri Lanka’s human–elephant conflict is a result of increasing urbanisation, fuelled by misunderstandings and misinformation. Without strong and urgent government action, people and animals will continue to suffer, and often pay with their lives. As elephant populations in Sri Lanka dwindle alarmingly, the country stands on the edge of losing one of its most historically and ecologically unique species.