Resolving conflicts between humans and elephants

Whenever tragic events such as the death of elephants occur, the scale of the conflict between elephants and humans becomes apparent.

Two adult elephants were found dead near a plantation in Tai Rom Yen National Park in the southern province of Surat Thani, presumably killed by an electric shock.

The bodies of the two wild elephants — a female approximately 25 years old and a bull approximately 40 years old — were entangled in wire. Burn marks were found on the animals' trunks.

The owner of the plantation told park officials that he had decided on Wednesday evening to switch on the electric current at the fence to protect his durian trees, after learning that four elephants had left the national park to search for food in the village.

He said he heard the loud cries of the elephants at around 11 p.m. on Wednesday but did not dare to leave his house to investigate. When he left the house at around 6 a.m. on Thursday to tap rubber latex, he found two dead elephants near his plantation.

Officials and veterinarians from the national park were sent to the site to examine the two animals, and found their carcasses entangled in electric fence wire.

According to an initial assessment, the first elephant suffered an electric shock when it came into contact with the wire and fell to the ground, while the second elephant died in an attempt to help its companion.

Pornchai Sitthikaset, Director of Protected Area Office 4, stated that the installation of electric fences against wildlife constitutes a serious offence, and added that legal proceedings would be initiated against the plantation owner.

He urged villagers not to harm elephants if they see them in their village, but to notify park officials so that they can handle the animals in an appropriate manner.

The search for effective solutions that allow both parties to coexist peacefully continues.

The habitat of elephants is shrinking while their numbers have been increasing again in recent years due to government protection measures. This leads to elephants encroaching on farmland and destroying crops, as there is often not enough food for them in the forests.

In Chon Buri province, a woman was killed by a wild elephant on a rubber plantation just at the beginning of October. This incident demonstrates that the success of conservation measures can also have negative consequences.

The elephant conservation organisation EleAid reports that 16 people have already lost their lives to aggressive elephants in the course of this year. Since 2012, a total of 105 human fatalities and 92 elephant deaths have been recorded in this conflict.

While elephants face similar problems in many parts of Asia and Africa, they are revered as deeply as in Thailand in hardly any other place. They are the national animal and are considered a symbol of good luck. Elephant symbols can be found in many temples and shrines, businesses use elephants as a marketing symbol, and the popular beer brand «Chang» is named after the Thai word for elephant.

The late Thai King Bhumibol championed the protection of elephants during his lifetime. He emphasised the importance of preserving the natural habitat of elephants and proposed solutions. One example of such an approach is the Kui Buri National Park south of Bangkok, where alternative farmland was created for farmers and elephants regained access to an attractive habitat with sufficient food and water.

However, such extensive projects are difficult to implement. The use of volunteers to drive elephants away from plantations and the deployment of fences without electric charges have so far done little to prevent elephants from encroaching on human settlements.

It is emphasized that elephants need not only our love, but above all knowledgeable conservation and sustainable agricultural practices in order to coexist peacefully with humans. Until such solutions are found, farmers and elephants will continue to be on a collision course.