The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) has recorded 397 elephant deaths in 2025, with the majority linked to human-elephant conflicts, signaling an escalating threat to the country’s elephant population.
DWC official Hasini Sarathchandra told Daily Mirror that many of the fatalities were directly caused by human activities. Of the total, 71 elephants died from gunshot injuries, 56 from electrocution, 46 in train accidents, and 20 after detonating hakka patas explosives. Two elephants were poisoned.
Additional deaths were attributed to environmental and conflict-related incidents, including four elephants drowning and eight falling into abandoned wells.
Regionally, the Eastern Wildlife Region reported the highest number of elephant deaths with 82 cases, followed by Anuradhapura with 77 and Polonnaruwa with 69. The DWC stressed the urgent need for measures to mitigate conflicts and safeguard wildlife.
