Sri Lanka is home to about a tenth of the estimated global total of 40,000 Asian elephants in the wild but they are under threat.

• Elephants are not being killed in Sri Lanka for their tusks - tuskers are rare
• They are not being killed for meat - no one eats elephant meat
• They are not being killed for their hides - there is no market for elephant hides in the leather industry
• Elephants are being killed simply because they interfere with agriculture

Since 1950, it is likely that more than 4,000 elephants have been destroyed as a direct consequence of the conflict between man and elephant.

 

The elephant is running out of space in Sri Lanka. Most of the protected areas inhabited by elephants are small, less than 1000 sq. km in size (900 sq. miles). However, elephants, especially the bulls, may range over hundreds of square kilometers in the course of a season. Their sheer size and appetite mean that elephants and people cannot live together where agriculture is the dominant form of land use.

 

There are no easy solutions for resolving the human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka. Much will depend on how rural people perceive the worth of the elephant. To stop the killing of elephants requires changing the perceptions of the farmers who suffer constant depredations from the animals.

 

How elephant dung can help

 

Many are now convinced that the only way elephants and human beings can exist successfully in the same environment is through finding ways to use the elephant as a sustainable economic resource.

 

Elephant dung may be that resource. It is a commodity that is freely available. On average, an adult elephant produces about 180-200 kg (500 lbs) of it per day. Moreover, it provides a way of converting a liability into an asset in conflict areas.

 

Until now, no one had any use for it. Now we use the elephant dung to manufacture paper and this may help change the perception of the farmers of the economic value of the elephant in conflict areas.

 

Since an elephant’s diet is all vegetarian, the waste produced is basically raw cellulose. Thoroughly cleaned and processed, the cellulose is converted into uniquely beautiful textured products. The acid free, linen-like papyrus-type paper can be used as art paper, notebooks, cards and assorted gift items. These products are popular with the local population and internationally.

 

Although this paper may not completely resolve the ongoing human-elephant conflict it will certainly help.

If the elephant is used as an economic asset that contributes meaningfully to the welfare of the people, then the people themselves will not want to see it disappear from their area. If we can gain the support of the local communities we can play an important role in the conservation of the majestic Asian elephant.

 

The Millenium Elephant Foundation

The Millennium Elephant Foundation in Sri Lanka is situated on a 15 acre estate known as Samaragiri, which has been home to the Samarasinghe family for many generations.

 

In 1979 the estate was opened to the public as the "Elephant Bath". Currently the Foundation is home to 5 female elephants. The youngest, Pooja, was the first captive elephant to be bred in Sri Lanka.

 

Visit the Foundation

 

To increase awareness and generate the funds needed for the maintenance and care of the elephants, the Millenium Elephant Foundation actively welcomes visitors and encourages one to one interaction with them.

 

The Foundation has a visitor’s centre where you can find out everything there is to know about elephants. You can also wash the elephants and go on elephant rides.

The Foundation is a charity and relies on public support. You can make a donation, sponsor an elephant or even volunteer to work at the Foundation, an incredibly rewarding experience. Visit the MEF website to find out more.

 

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