Causes for the Rude Behavior of Elephants in and around the Udawalawe National Park

Sri Lankan elephants (Elphahas maximus maximus) genetically highly migrating sub-speciesneed more and free natural ways to move to find their seasonal ecological niche as naturalway of life. As study area, Udawalawe National Park (UNP) is a major elephant range andelephants are considered as key stone species of the park. The objective of this study was tofind the causes for the rude behavior of elephants at the UNP. The fieldwork was conductedin east, west and south of the park through observation and interviews with officers and localpeople in April and December 2014. Data analysis was carried out based on obtainedqualitative and quantitative data.The villagers trespass to the park and corridors for number of illegal activities and also tobuild fences and huts. Besides this, visitors throw stones, hoot vehicle hones and flash theircameras. Due to the above such human activities and with the attraction of fruits andvegetables around the park, at night around 7.00 pm to 1.00 am they feed and trample outsidethe park especially in March and April. People light crackers, light fires, shout, make noiseswith tins and coconut shells and sometimes shoot the elephants to chase. With such repeatedincidents, the elephants become rude.According to the field study, out of nearly 325 to 400 elephants, three or four elephants throwlong logs onto the electric wires and by connecting two wires together they defuse them.Some elephants also push and fell the posts on which the barbed wires are fixed. Anotherthree elephants push the wire with their backs intermittently and then cross the fence. Whenthe elephants find their habitats and corridors blocked by settlements, walls and cultivation,stubborn to change their route, they demolish the walls, eat the crops and trample them asthey move on. If anybody happens to encounter the elephants in such a situation, they pitchviolently to the ground and trample to death. Elephants have adopted this behavior as theirself-defense mechanism because of unethical human practices in and around the park andelephant corridors.Keywords: Rude behaviour, Elephant, Udawala National Par