Kate Stuewe 1

Kate Stuewe

Ms. Wing

Pre-Ap 6

18 February 2018

Sri Lankan Elephant

A herd of Sri Lankan elephants are out looking for a watering hole to spend the

morning at. The group of elephants is lead by the matriarch, the eldest female in the herd;

she tours the elephants around in hopes of finding a safe place for the herd to stay for the

time being. As they scan the surrounding lands the matriarch spots a lingering group of

tigers, lingering around the pond. The dominant female decides to divert their route onto

another watering hole a few miles further. Along the way to the spring, the herd makes

routine stops to stop and feed on grasses, leaves, and fruit. The younger elephants in the

herd are closely watched by the older, more mature matriarch and other elephants in

order to ensure that everyone gets back to their home safely. The matriarch continuers to

lead the herd of elephants to the intended destination with no fatalities. Once they arrive

to the watering hole, the group of elephants takes a much needed break and cool off in the

mud. While the rest of the elephants enjoy the rest, the matriarch is still on the look out

for threats in the Broadleaf Forests. The herds of Sri Lankan elephants will always have

an eye on the look out for any danger no matter where the herd may be.`
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The Sri Lankan elephant stands out against others of its species; it can be

characterized by its large size, dark skin, patched of depigmentation on the ears, trunk,

face, and belly. This elephant is the largest of all elephants, standing about 8 to 10 feet at

the shoulder and weighing in at around 4,400 to 12,000 pounds. Even though the Sri

Lankan elephant is commonly connected to the African elephant but the Sri Lankan

elephant can be distinguished, from other elephants, because of its smaller ears and a

more curved spine. Another difference can be seen in the females; the female Sri Lankan

elephants tend to lack tusks while in many other elephant, the females bare tusks. In the

times where the females do have tusks, they tend to be small and sometimes

unnoticeable. Unlike the female elephants, males grow long and large tusks, which can be

heavier and larger than those of African elephants. The Sri Lankan elephants can be

distinguished from other elephants due to their size, coloring, and tusks both in females

and males.
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Sri Lankan elephants are known to be very social animals; they tend to travel in

matriarchal herds. A matriarchal herd is one lead by a female, usually the eldest in the

herd. The herds usually consist of 8 to 12 elephants, especially female adults along with

their offspring. The males in the herd depart when they reach maturity and can be seen

migrating alone or with a small group of other male elephant. These migratory animals

follow strict travelling routes throughout the different seasons. These migratory routes

have been the same through hundred’s of years, however with the expansion of

settlements the routes have had to change, causing a domino effect on the elephants

health and population size.

Along with the expansion of settlements, the loss of forests around the tip of India

has had a large impact in the decrease of population of the Sri Lankan elephant. The loss

of very large blocks of forests that are detrimental to the Sri Lankan elephant are cleared

for the movement of human settlement. The forests are also cleared for the use of

agriculture in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan elephants favor crops, like sugar cane and bananas

that are grown by humans. This certain liking towards human grown crops, leads to a

clash of humans and elephants. The Sri Lankan elephants have been known to infiltrate

fields to get to the crops, this can cause farmers to use force and sometimes brutal

methods to try and rid the fields of the elephants. This conflict between humans and

elephants and the increasing rate of deforestation can cause a drop in the population of

the Sri Lankan elephants.

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https://a-z-animals.com/animals/sri-lankan-elephant/pictures/4025/

The Sri Lankan elephants have become more and more domesticated as the

population continues to decline. The large animals are being captured and held captive

for the use of entertainment. The Sri Lankan elephant have been used for multiple

purposes, they’ve been used for transportation of humans and goods, lifting heavy

objects, and carrying objects. Along with the use of transportation the Sri Lankan

elephants have been trained for the entertainment of people, they are captured and used in

ceremonial occasions. The elephants are dressed up in bright, decorative, and elegant

costumes. They are paraded around villages and towns on special occasions and festivals;

one of the largest of the festivals is the “Kandy Esala Perahera”. This festival is known

for gathering many Sri Lankan elephants and adorning them in grand costumes and

march them along the city. This festival is just one example of how the Sri Lankan

elephants are being domesticated and used in unnatural situations.

Along with deforestation and the rise of human settlement, the Sri Lankan

elephant has come in contact with many obstacles that have decreased their population.

From 1990 to 1994 there were a total of 261 elephants that died in the armed conflicts in
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Sri Lanka. These wild elephants were either killed or injured by gunshot wounds or land

mines. Between the years 1999 to the end of 2006, almost 100 elephants in the wild were

killed each year. They were killed in order to protect crops and housing of town. Nearly

80 wild elephants in north western Sri Lanka were killed, 50 in the east and south, and 30

in other parts of the country, making it 160 elephant deaths in the year 2006. This shows

that it is not only natural selection that is decreasing the Sri Lankan elephant population

but also human interference with the endangered species.

These gentle giants are some of the most popular elephants in the world because

of their many abilities. The Sri Lankan elephants can be highly domesticated by humans

for work, for example they are able to move heavy materials such as logs and bricks.

These animals are also known for their migration and herding, they travel in herds of 10

to 12 and can often be lead by a dominant female. The population of the elephants is

dwindling everyday because of the loss of habitat to the effects of human settlement, such

as deforestation. In order to help decrease the impact that humans have on the population

size of these animals, wild life workers have set up reservations to ensure that these

animals will always have untouched land to roam on. The Elephas maximus maximus is

the largest out of the three subspecies of Asian elephants but these amazing animals will

soon be gone if nothing more is done in the efforts of preserving the animals natural

habitat and breeding grounds.

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Work Cited

Burnie, David. “Sri Lankan Elephant.” a-z Animals , 4 Feb. 2018, a-z animals.com.

Karkala, N. 2016. “Elephas maximus” (on-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed

February 04, 2018 at http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Elephas_maximus/

Kumara, Sisira. “Elephants in Sri Lanka.” Lanka.com , 4 Feb. 2018, amka.com

Mlththapala, Srllal. “Sri Lankan Elephant.” Quick Ele Facts, 4 Feb 2018,

srilankaelephant.com.

Nanayakkara, Prasadini. “Saving the Sri Lankan Elephant.” Earth Island Journal, 4 Feb.

2018, www.earthisland.org