The number of juvenile male elephants in Sri Lanka has increased over the past three national elephant surveys, contributing to a rise in human–elephant conflicts, Acting Director General of the Wildlife Conservation Department Ranjan Marasinghe said yesterday.
He noted that the male-to-female elephant ratio, which was 1:1.8 in 1993, narrowed to 1:1.09 in 2011 and further to 1:1.04 in the 2024 survey.
“The percentage of crop damage, loss of life, and property damage is significantly lower from female herds compared to male elephant herds,” Marasinghe said.
Survey data also show a notable increase in juvenile elephants. While juveniles made up 11% of the population in 1993, the figure dropped to 8.4% in 2011 and then rose sharply to 17.6% in 2024.
The 2024 survey recorded a minimum of 7,451 elephants across the country, up from 1,967 in 1993 and 5,879 in 2011. However, the proportion of calves has declined, from 23% in 1993 to 18.8% in 2011 and 16% in 2024, while the number of adults increased from 52.8% in 1993 to 61% in 2024.
Deputy Director Dr. U.L. Taufeek said that nearly 60% of the country’s wild elephant population has now been documented and highlighted that the Department cannot confine the rapidly growing population to the 20% of land currently designated as forest conservation areas.
“About 95% of wild elephants are found in the dry zone. Nearly 5,600 electric fences have been erected to manage human–elephant conflicts,” he said.
Dr. Taufeek added that ongoing infrastructure development and expanding land use are putting increasing pressure on wildlife habitats, further intensifying human–elephant conflicts in Sri Lanka.
