![]() 5,879 in 2011, on the basis of counting elephants at water holes in the dry season.1,967 in June 1993 that were fragmented in five regions.The size of wild elephant populations in Sri Lanka was estimated at As a result, elephant habitat in the dry zone was severely fragmented. This development gathered momentum after the independence in 1948. Ancient irrigation systems were rehabilitated and people resettled. In the early 20th century, mega reservoirs were constructed in the dry zone for irrigated agriculture. The area currently known as Ruhuna National Park was the Resident Sportsmen's Shooting Reserve, an area reserved for the sporting pleasure of British residents in the country. īy the turn of the 20th century, elephants were still distributed over much of the island. Between 18 alone, more than 6,000 elephants were captured and shot under order of colonial British Empire. ![]() Many other sportsmen have shot about 250–300 animals during this time. One of the British army majors is credited with having shot over 1,500 elephants, and two others are reputed to have shot half that number each. ĭuring the British rule, many bull elephants were killed by trophy hunters. The elephant population in the mountains was extirpated. In the first half of the 19th century, forests in the montane zone were cleared large-scale for the planting of coffee, and afterward tea. ![]() Until 1830, elephants were so plentiful that their destruction was encouraged by the government, and rewards were paid for any that was killed. During the colonial period from 1505 to 1948, the wet zone was converted to commercially used fields and became heavily settled. They occurred in the dry zone, in the lowland wet zone as well as in the cold damp montane forests. In the historical past, elephants were widely distributed from sea level to the highest mountain ranges. Nevertheless, about 65% of the elephant's range extends outside protected areas. In the Mahaweli Development Area, protected areas such as Wasgomuwa National Park, Flood Plains National Park, Somawathiya National Park and Trikonamadu Nature Reserve have been linked resulting in an overall area of 1,172 km 2 (453 sq mi) of contiguous habitat for elephants. Many areas are less than 50 km 2 (19 sq mi), and hence not large enough to encompass the entire home ranges of elephants that use them. Apart from Wilpattu and Ruhuna National Parks, all other protected areas are less than 1,000 km 2 (390 sq mi) in extent. They are absent from the wet zone of the country. A small remnant population exists in the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary. Sri Lankan elephants are restricted mostly to the lowlands in the dry zone where they are still fairly widespread in north, south, east, north-western, north-central and south-eastern Sri Lanka. It was over 1.5 m (5 ft) tall but had shorter legs than usual and was the main aggressor in an encounter with a younger bull. In July 2013, a dwarf Sri Lankan elephant was sighted in Udawalawe National Park. The Sri Lankan subspecies designation is weakly supported by analysis of allozyme loci, but not by analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences. Longest tusks of 7 feet 6 inches long was found in Millangoda Raja (1938-30 July 2011). Average adult elephant tusks grow up to about 6 feet. Their skin colour is darker than of indicus and of sumatranus with larger and more distinct patches of depigmentation on ears, face, trunk and belly. Sri Lankan elephants are the largest subspecies reaching a shoulder height of between 2 and 3.5 m (6.6 and 11.5 ft), weigh between 2,000 and 5,500 kg (4,400 and 12,100 lb), and have 19 pairs of ribs. The tip of their trunk has one finger-like process. In general, Asian elephants are smaller than African elephants and have the highest body point on the head. Characteristics A herd of elephants in Yala National Park Human-elephant conflict is increasing due to conversion of elephant habitat to settlements and permanent cultivation. It is estimated that Sri Lanka has the highest density of elephants in Asia. ![]() Elephants are present in Udawalawe National Park, Yala National Park, Lunugamvehera National Park, Wilpattu National Park and Minneriya National Park but also live outside protected areas. The Sri Lankan elephant population is now largely restricted to the dry zone in the north, east and southeast of Sri Lanka. It is the type subspecies of the Asian elephant and was first described by Carl Linnaeus under the binomial Elephas maximus in 1758. The Sri Lankan elephant ( Elephas maximus maximus) is native to Sri Lanka and one of three recognised subspecies of the Asian elephant. ![]()
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