Sri Lankan Elephant - Population Trend

Population Trend

In the historical past, elephants were found in the dry zone, the lowland wet zone, as well as in the cold damp forests of the mountains in the island. They enjoyed wide distribution and good numbers from sea level to the highest mountain ranges. Until 1830, elephants were so plentiful that their destruction was encouraged by the Government, and rewards were paid for any that was killed. Their disappearance from the montane zone began with the largescale clearance of forests for the planting of coffee, and afterwards tea, during the first half of the 19th century. Even by the turn of the 20th century, elephants were distributed over much of the island.

Elephant populations in Sri Lanka were seriously depleted through capture and slaughter in the 19th century. Between 1829 and 1855 alone, more than 6,000 elephants were captured and shot.

Size of wild elephant populations in Sri Lanka estimated at

• 12,000 to 14,000 in the early 19th century;
• 10,000 in the early 20th century;
• 7,000 to 8,000 in around 1920;
• between 1,745 and 2,455 individuals in 1969;
• between 2,500 and 3,435 in 1987;
• 1,967 in June 1993 fragmented in five regions;
• between 3,150 and 4,400 in 2000;
• 3150 in 2006;
• 2900-3000 in 2007.
• 5879 in total, 2011 elephant census