Sri Lankan elephant - Threats

Six per cent of animals in the wild dying annually

Forest clearing for human settlements and agriculture is causing loss and increased fragmentation of elephant habitat in Sri Lanka - almost 65% of the population has declined since the turn of the 19th century.

As a result of forest clearing, human-elephant conflicts have also increased and led to the death of both humans and elephants, and the destruction of property. The problem is compounded by the elephant's predilection for crops such as sugar cane, bananas and other fruits grown by humans.

During 1997, about 126 wild elephants were lost as a result of human-elephant conflict (a rate of about 2.4 elephants per week). Current recorded levels of mortality would indicate that about 6% of the animals in the wild are dying annually.