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The Sri Lankan elephant (Elephas maximus maximus) is listed as “endangered” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and it is believed only between 2500-4000 remain in the wild, a population drop of approx. 50% in the past 60-75 years.

According to IUCN, “The species was once found throughout Sri Lanka, but today elephants are restricted mostly to the lowlands in the dry...
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  • A security guard stands watch over an array of elephant tusks in the Gangaramaya temple in Colombo. One of Sri Lanka's most important Buddhist sites, large amounts of ivory are on display, signifying the historical importance of decorative ivory for religion in the country
  • Ornaments made of ivory sit in a display in the Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo.
  • Elephant display at Colombo Zoo, Sri Lanka.
  • Elephant display at Colombo Zoo, Sri Lanka.
  • Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka.
  • Tourists walk through the Horton Plains National Park which is one of the highest points in Sri Lanka. Historically, elephants used to roam the highland forests until they were cleared to make way for agricultural land which was later abandoned.
  • A mahout beats an elephant at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka.
  • A mahout cleans elephants at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka.
  • An emaciated elephant at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka.
  • The temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) shrine town in Kandy, the second biggest city in Sri Lanka.
  • A young elephant at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka.
  • Tourists visit the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka.
  • Deforestation is most evident in the patchwork of forests that can be found over many of the mountains. Habitat fragmentation has been one of the main challenges to the dwindling wild elephant populations across the island.
  • Deforested mountains in the central highlands of Sri Lanka.
  • A depiction of an elephant in a wall at the temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) shrine town in Kandy, the second biggest city in Sri Lanka.
  • A wild elephant near Wasgamuwa National Park in central Sri Lanka, famed for its wild Asian elephant populations.
  • Orange trees are used as a way to deter grazing elephants near Wasgamuwa National Park in central Sri Lanka, famed for its wild Asian elephant populations.
  • A villager cutting trees for firewood. This activity is legal, as long as wood is only being used for this purpose. It is a pressure on the forest however and local villagers know that every time they go into the forest, there is a chance they will run into a wild elephant. As the Sri Lankan elephant's habitat has been slowly eroded, potential human-elephant conflicts have increased markedly across the country.
  • A wild elephant in the Wasgamuwa National Park in central Sri Lanka, famed for its wild Asian elephant populations.
  • A warden watched for elephants near the Wasgamuwa National Park in central Sri Lanka, famed for its wild Asian elephant populations.
  • A warden from the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society looks out of a treehouse, watching and monitoring wild elephants.
  • EM Podimaneke, 49, stands outside her home where an elephant killed her husband in June 2013. Human-elephant conflict has increased as the animals habitat becomes smaller due to deforestation and habitat fragmentation. It is estimated that around 50 people are killed by elephants each year in the country, while over 100 elephants are also killed as farmers try to protect their land.
  • Elephant footprints near the Wasgamuwa National Park in central Sri Lanka, famed for its wild Asian elephant populations.
  • Dump site near Wasgamuwa National Park in central Sri Lanka, famed for its wild Asian elephant populations.
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