Afternoons with the SLWCS are spent in a tree hut located within an elephant corridor just outside Wasgamuwa National Park. This area of land is used by elephants to move from one habitat to another in search of resources such as food and water. Local villagers also regularly use a road running through this area and this shared use has the potential to lead to deadly conflict. From the vantage point of the tree hut, data on both human and elephant use of the corridor is collected alongside any evidence of conflict between the two parties.

On the afternoon of Tuesday 12th April, current volunteers and a staff member of the SLWCS got in the Land Rover, expecting to make observations like any other day. Little did we know that this particular afternoon would hold a very different experience in store for us!

As we were driving past Weheragalagama water tank, we were informed by a villager that there was an elephant in the corridor. For volunteers, this always brings an air of excitement and suspense as it means we get an opportunity to witness and photograph one of the largest animals on earth in its natural environment.

We found the tree hut already occupied by revellers starting Sinhalese New Year’s celebrations rather early so we carried on in the Land Rover, on the lookout for the elephant sighted earlier. Sampath was quick to spot it; a lone bull elephant to our left, travelling parallel to the road. As we later found out, he was also in musth (a periodic condition characterized by a change in behaviour and linked to a rise in testosterone levels) which may have contributed to the following series of events. Following at a respectable distance, we took photos and watched as he grazed his way through the Mana grass.

As the bull crossed the road ahead of us, a motorbike carrying two passengers approached from the opposite direction. This caused an immediate reaction from the bull, initiating a charge straight towards them.

Finding their path blocked by a few tons of charging elephant and with no time to turn around, both passengers were quick to abandon the motorbike and sprint for a tree in an attempt to gain as much height away from their aggressor. We lost sight of one of the men as he sprinted further into the grass but the other chose the nearest tree to the roadside – a tree which happened to be devoid of virtually all low branches. I think the speed at which the villager managed to climb the tree is a testament to the power of adrenaline. His sarong got entangled on a dead stump in the tree compelling him to leave modesty aside and clamber the rest of the way only in his underwear!

Unfortunately, the bull was completely undeterred by the fact that the focus of his original intentions was now an extra fifteen feet off the ground. A stand-off ensued and I feared that the most likely outcome of this situation would fall in favour of the elephant.

Sampath had begun to take action as soon as the original charge had occurred, making every effort to draw the bull’s attention away from the motorcyclists using the limited methods at his disposal; engine revving, slamming of the car door and shouting. I should note at this point that he was also keen for us to obtain visual evidence of this event by making intermittent cries reminding us to “Take photos! Take photos!”. A few minutes of his persistent actions paid off as the bull started slowly moving towards us, giving some welcome relief to his tree-bound prisoners. It took still more persuasion from Sampath for the bull to move off into the surrounding grass and leave us to attend the motorcyclists.

Upon descending the trees, there was a clear mixture of emotions from the two local men; fear, shock, relief. An inspection of their abandoned motorbike showed that it was still in working order and so, after a conversation about the events that had just unfolded, they rode off on their way, surely to recount their ordeal to family and friends.

A later review of photos showed evidence of past gunshot wounds visible on the flank of the elephant. This particular individual had clearly been in a conflict situation with humans before, which may have contributed to the elephant’s behaviour in this encounter.

Witnessing this was, in all probability, a-once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. However, for the community living here, this conflict happens only too often. Imagine the fear of parents and children alike knowing that the simple act of walking to school each day could end in tragedy.

This highlights the important research and conservation measures put into place by SLWCS in an effort to reduce human-elephant conflict on a number of levels. In the very near future, an Ele-Friendly bus service (https://madmimi.com/s/3c1ba7) will be launched, to aid in the reduction of the type of incident we witnessed here today. The projects that the SLWCS are carrying out are already having, and will continue to have, an impact on the daily lives of both elephants and people living here. I would urge anyone reading this to help the SLWCS in any way that they can; whether that be volunteering with them, donating to help fund their vital work or even spreading the word about their research and vital conservation work.