Sri Lanka faces a big threat with the human-elephant conflict, the jumbos invading human habitats due to the animal territory being reduced with the clearance of jungles for various purposes including development. The human and elephant deaths due to this conflict are increasing year after year. According to the latest data 721 elephants have been reported to have died during the past two years while the number of human deaths had gone up to 210 during the same period. In addition many have been wounded and houses destroyed.
The Government introduced the electric fence as a solution to the human-elephant conflict in 1992, but it has now been identified as a failure with the number of deaths of humans and elephants rising as per the table given.
Elephants may not be as smart as humans, but a grown up elephant has the mentality of a child of 10 – 11 years. The elephant is an intelligent animal with a lifespan of 70 – 80 years which is similar to that of humans. The elephant’s intelligence is evident in the manner how it smashes the electric fence with dried logs and pulls it down attacking it with the two tusks without getting electrified. Hence, the erection of electric fences would be futile, and the elephant invasion into human habitats will increase with more and more forests being cleared.
Clearing jungles
Clearing jungles and setting up colonies in the recent past has forced the elephants to come into the villages where humans live as they faced a shortage of food.
The elephants destroy crops such as paddy, mineri, kurakkan, undhu, cowpea, sorghum and corn that farmers cultivate, staying awake during nights in fear of elephant invasion. The farmers who lose their crops are burdened with economic woes and are mentally distraught with no solution in sight. In the olden days, farmers planted cactus trees around their properties to protect their houses and cultivation. The sharp thorns in the cactus plants kept the elephants away from the cultivated fields and dwellings of the villagers.
With the new colonisation, such trees diminished and fencing began with parapet walls being built around the properties. However, elephants easily topple the parapet walls and invade the cultivated lands. Generally, an elephant moves around 20 – 30 kilometres a day travelling about 100 – 150 kilometers throughout the country. The human-elephant conflict starts when there are obstacles to the movement of the jumbos and when they face a shortage of food. Small children, students, youth and elders in villages where the human-elephant conflict prevails spend the nights in fear of elephant invasion. Even the slightest distraction could end in a calamity. This problem has been referred to the authorities of all political affiliations but to no avail. They propose to erect electric fences, live electric fences, bee colonies and electrical nettings but no concrete solution has been found as yet, although millions of rupees have been spent.
On September 27, 2008 around 7 p.m. while I was on duty at Lake House, three elephants from the Wilpattu National Park had come to my ancestral home in Giriulla in search of food. My aged parents, fearing for their lives had helplessly watched through the window the elephants eating the paddy (20 bags) stored in the outer hut.
Later on two of those elephants were anaesthetised and taken back by the Wildlife Officers while roaming the Polkatu Jungle in Mirigama. In Anuradhapura where I lived for 14 years, one day on my way to school I witnessed the brother of my classmate being attacked by an elephant and his head smashed. It was a heart-wrenching incident. In the period between 1982 and 1996, wild elephants attacking houses, plantations and eating paddy stored in houses by invading through roofs and causing human deaths were a regular occurrence.
Acts such as throwing acid at elephants, placing planks with nails, injuring them with hakkapatas mixed with elephant food, attacking the animals with fire, setting traps to chase them away has not helped but increased their rivalry.
In my quest to find a solution to this escalating problem, Zizyphus Napeca, Bouganvillae, Gingelly, Durian, lime, cactuses, silk cotton trees, jute, keeriya come to mind as these plants are not consumed by elephants. However, we cannot find a long term solution with these.
While I was researching further, in 2011, Balasuriya, a village headman in Tissawewa, Anuradhapura told me that elephants do not eat Palmyrah leaves. Thereafter I focused on my research on Palmyrah and travelled to Vilachchiya, Thanthirimale, Yaka Wewa, Medawachchiya, Ritigala, Padaviya, Nochchiyagama, Alayapattuwa and Rota Wewa. In those areas I placed the tender Palmyrah leaves on routes trespassed by elephants and found that they did not eat them. I also noticed that the elephants had not attacked any of the Palmyrah trees in the jungle.
I learnt that elephants do not consume Palmyrah leaves because they are rough and thorny. They fear the thorns and do not go near thorny trees. Palmyrah thorns are very sharp and pierce through the elephant’s skin making it painful for the animal.
The leaves that provide security to the Palmyra trees are about 12 – 15 feet long and are about three layers. Even the strongest elephant in the herd will not dare attack or go close to a Palmyrah tree. Palmyrah trees last about 160 – 170 years and the leaves provide security to the trees to stand without falling, unless cut down by man. Therefore, I find this to be a good solution to the human-elephant conflict.
Palmyrah tree
The Palmyrah tree can bring results in 3 to 4 years and its products can reap millions of dollars in foreign exchange by about 12 years. Around 1,221 trees can be planted in a kilometre. It produces oxygen in large quantities and is environment friendly. Hence, my solution to end the human-elephant conflict is Epaladeniya Borassus Elephant Barrier. Under this program the invasion of elephants into the villages can be prevented by planting Palmyrah palms in a zigzag manner which would give shelter not only to humans but also the elephants.
Putting up Palmyrah (Borassus) Elephant Barriers would help earn valuable foreign exchange in millions of dollars when the palms reach the fruit bearing stage in about 12 years. It could also generate thousands of jobs, and prevent the elephants attacking paddy fields and plantations ensuring a safe livelihood to villagers. It would be a lasting solution to this conflict and is 100 percent environment friendly. The human-elephant conflict that prevails for over seven decades now is a major problem for the Government. I believe, if correct steps are taken we would be able to solve this problem.
The human-elephant conflict has caused 115 human deaths during the past year alone, which rises year after year with the habitat of the elephants being cleared by humans for various reasons including development. Nearly, half the population of Sri Lanka face this problem whether directly or indirectly and their lives are unsettled and troublesome.
I am optimistic that the construction of the live fence in the 6,000 km stretch with Palmyrah palms could be completed within the next three years if Government permission is granted.
The Palmyrah trees planted in a zigzag method with a distance between two plants at 6 or 8 feet would prevent the elephants coming through as they fear the sharp thorns. Such a fence could easily last 150 years without any repairs.
Palmyrah, botanically known as Borassus with a lifespan of 160 to 170 years grow skywards. It grows in all areas except in cold climates such as Nuwara Eliya. It is believed that the Palmyrah palm, an origin of Africa may have come to Sri Lanka from India when King Vijaya came to Sri Lanka in seed form. This palm is mostly found in the North. Today it has spread to many other areas in the Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Hambantota districts as well. However, Sri Lankans have not identified the real worth of this palm. It does not require fertiliser and could be considered as an organic palm.
The young fruit can be consumed like the sweet water of a young coconut, while the seeds help to reproduce. The ripe fruit is peeled and the juice can be made into fruit drink, Palmyrah cake and sweetmeat. The Northerners make use of this juice and seeds to make products such as treacle and jaggery.
The Palmyrah Development Board produces Palmyrah arrack and whiskey from Palmyrah toddy, which is very popular among the Northerners and the tourists. There are male and female trees. Female trees bear fruits and are more useful than the male trees. People can earn between Rs. 20,000 and 25,000 from a Palmyrah palm.
Hence, building a fence or barrier against the intrusion of elephants into human habitats with Palmyrah palms would be very profitable in the long run. When the palms reach fruit bearing stage it provides self-employment to toddy tappers, jaggery makers, hat and mat weavers, and makers of other Palmyrah products.
Therefore, it is proposed that the authorities take steps for a lasting solution to the human elephant conflict by erecting fences with Palmyrah palms. This project could be carried out as a public private partnership and the Palmyrah Development Board could also benefit from the project.