Over 100 Wild Elephant deaths in four months: One death a day

Colombo, April 30 (Daily Mirror) - The human–elephant conflict in Sri Lanka has claimed the lives of 143 people and elephants as of April 25 this year, data revealed.

According to the Department of Wildlife Conservation, 108 elephants have died so far in 2026, while 35 people have lost their lives in elephant attacks during the same period.

A senior official from the department told Daily Mirror that the causes behind elephant deaths included 16 from gunshot injuries, 14 from electrocution, nine from explosives concealed in food items known as “hakka patas”, and five in train collisions.

The remaining deaths were attributed to natural causes or unidentified reasons. Most of the elephants killed were juveniles.

Furthermore, the majority of elephant deaths have been reported from the Eastern Province.

The official added that 2026 has recorded a total of 108 elephant deaths so far.