Sri Lanka recorded 180 wild elephant deaths in the first seven months of 2026, with 75 of them caused directly by human activity, the Department of Wildlife Conservation says.
Of the elephants killed through human action, 30 were shot dead and 23 died after coming into contact with illegal electric fences or live wires, the department said. A further 19 were killed by explosive bait — the improvised jaw bombs known locally as “hakka patas,” which are hidden in food and detonate in the animal’s mouth — and three died from poisoning.
The remaining deaths were attributed to accidents and natural causes. Two elephants were killed in collisions with trains, four in road accidents and six after falling into agricultural wells, while three were linked to other accidents.
The Eastern wildlife region recorded the highest toll with 44 deaths, followed by significant numbers in the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa regions.
The figures also underscore the human cost of the conflict: the department said 56 people were killed in elephant attacks during the same seven-month period.
Sri Lanka has one of the world’s highest rates of human-elephant conflict, driven by habitat loss and the spread of farming and settlements into elephant ranges. The government earlier adopted a national action plan to manage the conflict, including elephant corridors and fencing, but deaths on both sides have continued to mount.
